Telecom operator Bharti Airtel Ltd on August 4 reported a 37% year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 8,167 crore for the quarter ended June 30, driven by higher mobile tariffs, strong customer additions and continued growth across its India and Africa businesses.

The telecom operator's average revenue per user (ARPU), a key profitability metric, increased to Rs 264 during the quarter from Rs 250 a year earlier, reflecting the impact of tariff hikes and an improving customer mix.

"We delivered yet another quarter of strong performance, supported by the resilience of our diversified portfolio and sharp execution across businesses," Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director Gopal Vittal said in a statement.

Vittal said India revenue grew 4.2% sequentially, while the Africa business posted 5.7% constant currency growth over the previous quarter.

During the quarter, Airtel also completed a share swap transaction that increased its stake in Airtel Africa to more than 79%, a move Vittal described as "a strong reflection of our conviction in Africa's long-term growth potential."

Airtel's India mobile business continued to benefit from premiumisation, with revenue growing 9.2% year-on-year.

The company added 1 million postpaid subscribers, its highest-ever quarterly addition, taking its postpaid customer base to 30 million. It also added 5 million smartphone users during the quarter, while its smartphone customer base increased by 21.1 million over the past year.

During the quarter, Airtel launched Postpaid Fast Lane, a service powered by 5G network slicing technology aimed at offering priority network access for postpaid customers.

The telecom operator also expanded its network by deploying 1,579 towers and 14,540 mobile broadband base stations during the quarter. Over the past year, it rolled out 7,631 towers and laid 45,171 kilometres of fibre.

The company's Homes business reported 33.2% year-on-year revenue growth, adding 473,000 customers during the quarter to take its subscriber base to 14.7 million.

Its Airtel Business enterprise division posted 12% year-on-year revenue growth, driven by connectivity services and digital solutions. During the quarter, Airtel launched Airtel Secure Workforce, a managed Zero Trust Architecture cybersecurity platform targeted at enterprises.

The Digital TV business generated revenue of Rs 773 crore and ended the quarter with 16 million customers, while IPTV services continued to support the company's convergence strategy.

In Africa, Airtel ended the quarter with 189 million customers, delivering 21.1% year-on-year revenue growth in constant currency. Across its 15 markets, Airtel added 14.9 million customers during the quarter, taking its overall subscriber base to 681 million.