“I am not going to take anything beyond Bharti’s group,” says Gopal Vittal.

Gopal Vittal, who has been appointed Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said that he will not hold any position outside the group and will take over some of the responsibilities of Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal across the conglomerate, particularly ensuring synergies in digital procurement. talent, and network strategy.

“We believe this will enhance the group’s capabilities. I will also spend time scaling some of our incubation and growth areas in digital services, financial services and data centers. I will also provide greater oversight of our overseas operations,” he said during a second-quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday.

“I want to clarify that I am completely committed to the Bharti group and have no intention of taking on anything outside the group,” he said. Vittal said he will continue to serve as vice-chairman of GSMA, a global body representing over 700 telecom operators in different regions, for another two years as Airtel’s nominee, which will enable him to bring the latest global technology developments back to Airtel.

Vittal, who has been managing director and CEO of Airtel since 2012, has been appointed vice chairman in addition to his existing managing director position with immediate effect, as per the succession plan that the No. 2 Indian telco unveiled on Monday. During his tenure, Airtel’s market capitalization grew to $100 billion. He will take up his duties as Executive Deputy Chairman on January 1, 2026.

Shashwat Sharma, COO since 2023, has been promoted to CEO, responsible for the entire end-to-end consumer business. Sharma, who previously led the consumer marketing business across all segments, will continue to report to Vittal, who continues to lead the Airtel business. Vittal will mentor and prepare Shashwat to take over as Managing Director and CEO of the entire business with effect from 1 January 2026.

The 14-month transition period also aims to “attract fresh young leaders into key positions to run the India operations”, Vittal said. Effective April 1, 2025, Amit Tripathi, currently Director of Marketing and Customer Success, will be appointed Director of Market Operations, leading all distribution circles and strategy.

DTH will be separated from the converged entertainment category to create the connected home category, which will include broadband and converged entertainment as well as DTH. Siddharth Sharma, currently CEO of DTH, will be appointed as Chief Marketing Officer and CEO of Connected Homes, while Pushpinder Gujral, currently CEO of Upper North Region, will be appointed as CEO and Director of DTH. Customer service will be created as a separate function, headed by Shivan Bhargava, who has been appointed director of customer services. The leaders will report to Shashwat.

Goldman Sachs said in a report Tuesday that the transition period will allow for a smooth transition of roles and responsibilities. “We are encouraged by the following: (1) the new CEO appointee has been with Airtel for six years and was already part of the senior management team; (2) there is a 14-month transition period which we believe should ensure a smooth transition of roles and responsibilities; (3) Mr. Vittal will remain with Bharti Airtel,” bank analysts said.

“We don’t expect this change to be very disruptive. This should be supported by Bharti’s solid track record and our view that the peak of competitive intensity is behind us,” Citi Research analysts said in a note reviewed Mint.

Tariff increase

Vittal, speaking on a conference call with investors after September quarter earnings, reiterated the need for a tariff hike but did not mention the timing of the next tariff hike. Airtel, along with other private telecom operators, hiked tariffs by 10-21% in June this year, the third such increase since 2019. This increased net profit for the quarter ended September to ₹Consolidated revenue stood at Rs 3,593 crore, up 168% year-on-year. ₹41,473 crore, up 12%. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) increased by 12% ₹22,021 crore and Ebitda margin increased to 53.1% from 52.7% last year.

The operator added 26.2 million smartphone data users and 0.8 million postpaid users during the quarter, increasing Arpu, a key profitability metric, to ₹233, from ₹203 last year, and ₹211 in the June quarter. Vittal noted that Arp had to rise to ₹300, although tariffs remained among the lowest in the world.

Airtel’s newest offering, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), which provides fiber-like internet speeds to the home without the need for fiber optic cables, has been rolled out in 2,000 cities. FWA will be offered in a standalone architecture from December, Vittal said. Fixed wireless access (FWA) equipment costs have become comparable to fiber-to-the-home routers, which will further help accelerate the adoption of FWA, he said.