Tag: Airtel money

  • Best Digital Gold Platforms in India: Top Apps to Buy and Invest in Gold Securely in 2025

    India is the largest importer of Gold in the world. Gold is not only a material of great value that is closely tied to Indian culture and tradition, but it has also been a time-tested investment option, which is very common among Indian households. With the emergence of the internet and the digitalization of the day, gold and the investment in gold in India also took the digital route.

    Yes, it is digital gold now in place of the physical gold that is growing in popularity. Furthermore, numerous gold investment companies and online platforms for purchasing gold are fueling the growing demand for digital gold, or e-gold, enabling investors to buy gold quickly, securely, and easily.

    The Digital Gold can be bought online and will be stored in safe vaults until sold. Currently, three entities in India provide Digital Gold. You can use certain platforms to make digital gold purchases online, but these three companies would have to be associated with those platforms.

    India’s digital gold market is growing fast and could become a $100 billion opportunity by 2025. This growth is happening because more people are using fintech apps, and young investors are now more aware that gold is a smart way to invest.

    The three companies in India are Augmont Goldtech Pvt. Ltd., MMTC-PAMP India Pvt. Ltd., and Digital Gold India Pvt. Ltd., which is sold under the brand Safe Gold. These companies purchase the gold and store it safely in vaults on behalf of the platforms.

    Advantages of E-Gold

    • Gold rates on the NSE are based on Indian market rates.
    • Investors can buy and sell gold in small denominations. E.g., 1gm, 2gm of gold.
    • Transparency in pricing and seamless trading are one of the major advantages of this product.
    • This product is high in liquidity. One can sell it at any point in time. No impurity risks.

    Here is the list of gold trading apps that bring in fantastic gold investment options, or buying digital gold, which one can opt to invest in E-gold in India.

    List of Best Platforms to Buy Digital Gold in India in 2025

    # Brand Name App Type / Category Platform Availability Main Use Why Users Like It
    1 Paytm UPI & Wallet App Android, iOS, Web UPI payments, recharges, shopping All-in-one app with fast payments and cashback
    2 PhonePe UPI Payment App Android, iOS UPI and bill payments Simple interface and quick transactions
    3 Google Pay UPI Payment App Android, iOS UPI payments Backed by Google, easy to use
    4 Groww Investment App Android, iOS, Web Stocks & mutual fund investment Beginner-friendly with low fees
    5 Jar Gold Saving App Android, iOS Gold savings via spare change Auto-saves small amounts daily into digital gold
    6 Airtel Payments Bank Digital Bank & Wallet Android, iOS, Web Digital banking & payments Works well with Airtel ecosystem
    7 Amazon Pay UPI & Wallet App Android, iOS, Web Payments and shopping rewards Smooth for Amazon users, cashback offers
    8 HDFC Securities Stock Trading Platform Android, iOS, Web Stock trading Trusted banking brand with full trading tools
    9 Motilal Oswal Investment Platform Android, iOS, Web Investments & research Strong advisory and research support
    10 FinPlay Learning & Budgeting App Android, iOS Financial learning app for teens Makes money learning fun and interactive
    11 Zerodha Stock Trading Platform Web, Android (via Kite) Discount stock brokerage Low brokerage fees and easy interface
    12 Tanishq Jewellery Shopping App Android, iOS, Web Gold and jewellery shopping Trusted brand with high-quality jewellery
    13 Spare8 Micro-Investment App Android, iOS Save and invest spare change Helps build habits through micro-investments
    14 DigiGold Digital Gold Platform Android, iOS, Web Buy & sell digital gold Instant gold buying with real-time prices
    15 Jupiter Money Neobank Android, iOS Smart digital banking Money tracking and spending insights
    16 MMTC-PAMP Gold Investment Platform Android, iOS, Web Digital gold and bullion buying Government-authorized and safe
    17 Gullak Gold Saving App Android, iOS Auto-save & invest in gold Daily auto-savings into gold
    18 Pluto Money Finance EdTech App Android, iOS Financial education for Gen Z Gamified learning for young users
    19 Plus Gold Gold Investment App Android, iOS Gold saving and investment Goal-based savings in gold
    20 Dvara SmartGold Gold Saving Platform Android (mostly) Rural-focused gold savings Easy gold savings for underserved communities
    21 Fiydaa Budgeting App Android, iOS Budgeting & money management Helps users plan, track, and save smarter
    22 eBullion Gold Investment Platform Android, iOS, Web Buy, sell & manage gold 24/7 Offers full control, price alerts, and deep insights

    How to Invest in E-Gold?

    Open a Demat Account

    To purchase commodities in NSE, you must have a Demat account. One can keep a separate Demat account for equities and commodities or keep the same one. To open an account, one can submit all the required documentation to NSE.

    Trading

    Once your account is opened, you can log in and buy e-gold. You can trade from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays. Your gold units will get credited to your Demat account in T+2 days (date plus one days).

    Physical Delivery

    If you want, you can physically deliver gold at any time by redeeming e-gold units in your Demat account.

    Gold Price Movement in India
    Gold Price Movement in India

    The graph shows the gold price movement in India per 10 grams from 2015 to 2025. The price of gold has been increasing over the past few years, and it is likely to continue to increase in the future.

    The gold price started at around INR 26,345 per 10 grams in 2015 and reached INR 58,270 per 10 grams in 2023, an increase of over 100%, and INR 98,303 in July 2025. The main reasons for the increase in gold price are inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and rising demand from India.


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    List of Digital Gold Investment Platforms

    Paytm

    Name Paytm
    Founded 2010
    Minimum Investment INR 1
    Partnered with MMTC-PAMP
    Paytm - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Paytm – Best Digital Gold App for Investment

    Paytm is an e-commerce payment system and a fintech company in India. It was founded in the year 2010 and has its headquarters located in Uttar Pradesh, India. Paytm provides an opportunity for Indians to invest or purchase 99.99% pure Gold for as low as INR 1.

    The user can purchase gold through the Paytm app by choosing the stocks and wealth icon and then selecting the Paytm Gold icon, which lets you invest in Gold in terms of rupees or quantity. It is one of the most trustworthy and best gold investment app in India.

    PhonePe

    Name PhonePe
    Founded 2015
    Minimum Investment INR 1
    Partnered with MMTC-PAMP
    PhonePe - Best Platform to Buy Digital Gold in India
    PhonePe – Best Platform to Buy Digital Gold in India

    PhonePe is an Indian financial service and a digital payment platform. It was founded in the year 2015 and has its headquarters in Bangalore, India. The company is a subsidiary of Flipkart. Even PhonePe allows its users to invest or purchase 99.99% pure Gold for as low as INR 1. It is one of the best platform for the best digital gold investment in India.

    PhonePe platform provides the promise of transparent pricing and assured quality, and is one of the best ways to buy gold online. In PhonePe, the users will have to log into their account and choose the Gold option available in the My Money section. With PhonePe, the users can invest in Gold in terms of rupees or quantity.

    Google Pay

    Name Google Pay
    Founded 2011
    Minimum Investment INR 1
    Partnered with MMTC-PAMP
    Google Pay - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Google Pay – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    Google Pay is also a digital payment platform, which is powered by Google. It was launched in the year 2015. Google Pay also lets users invest or purchase 99.99% pure Gold for as low as INR 1.

    The users can purchase the gold by using the Google Pay platform, which works similarly to the digital gold purchased through PhonePe and Paytm.


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    Groww

    Name Groww
    Founded 2016
    Minimum Investment INR 10
    Partnered with Augmont Gold
    Groww - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Groww – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    Groww is an Indian-based online investment platform. It provides services to customers to invest in mutual funds and stocks. The company was founded in the year 2016, is headquartered in Bangalore, and is one of the best platforms to buy digital gold in India.

    Through Groww, the users will be able to purchase Gold in terms of grams from a starting price of INR 10. The purchase cannot be made through the Groww funds, and the users will have to purchase them through UPI, NEFT, net banking, IMPS, or RTGS. If it is net banking, then they will have to purchase for more than INR 100.


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    Jar

    Name Jar
    Founded 2021
    Minimum Investment Based on Digital Transaction Value
    Partnered with SafeGold
    Jar App - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Jar App – Best Platform to Buy Digital Gold in India

    The Jar App is a daily savings platform that rounds off spare change from your digital transactions and invests it in digital Gold, all of this with zero manual involvement. For example, if a person spends Rs. 23, Jar smartly rounds it off to the nearest ten and automatically invests Rs. 7 in digital gold on their behalf.
    First of its kind, with Jar App, you can save while you spend. The entire process takes 45 seconds and can start right after.
    Jar App enables its customers to save consistently with minimum hassle so that they are all prepared for the future.

    Airtel Payments Bank

    Name Airtel Payments Bank
    Founded 2016
    Minimum Investment INR 1
    Partnered with SafeGold
    Airtel Payments Bank - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Airtel Payments Bank – Best Digital Gold Platform in India for Investment

    Airtel Payments Bank is a financial service company that is a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel. It is the first company to receive a payments bank license from the RBI. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, Airtel Payments Bank was founded in the year 2017.

    Airtel has launched a new platform, DigiGold. It is one of the best platforms to buy digital gold from. This platform will allow users to invest in digital gold. This feature can be used only by the savings account customers of Airtel Payments Bank.

    Amazon Pay

    Name Amazon Pay
    Founded 2007
    Minimum Investment INR 5
    Partnered with SafeGold
    Amazon Pay - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Amazon Pay – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in India. It is a US-based company that was founded in the year 1994. Launched in 2007, Amazon Pay uses the consumer base of Amazon.com and focuses on giving users the option to pay with their Amazon accounts on external merchant websites. If you are looking for how to buy gold online with Amazon, then that is easy, too.

    The users can buy Digital Gold through the Amazon App on the Amazon Pay page, or they can search for it directly in the search bar. Once the users can log in, they can click on the gold vault icon and see the buy price at that time. The digital gold can be bought from the starting price of INR 5. The users can buy up to 30g of Gold without KYC.

    HDFC Securities

    Name HDFC Securities
    Founded 2000
    Minimum Investment 1 gram of Gold
    Partnered with Augmont Gold
    HDFC Securities - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    HDFC Securities – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    HDFC is a financial securities company that is a subsidiary of HDFC Bank. HDFC Securities was founded in the year 2000, and its headquarters are located in Mumbai, India. HDFC Securities also allows its users to invest in digital gold.

    Using HDFC securities, users can buy 24K Gold in terms of rupees as well as quantity. It is one of the best gold trading apps. You will be able to buy the top-quality Gold and store it safely in the digital locker, which can be accessed anytime and anywhere.


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    Motilal Oswal

    Name Motilal Oswal
    Founded 1987
    Minimum Investment 1 gram of Gold
    Partnered with MMTC-PAMP
    Me -Gold - Motilal Oswal - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Me-Gold – Motilal Oswal – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    Motilal Oswal is an India-based diversified financial service company that also provides gold investment opportunities. The company was founded in the year 1987 and has its headquarters in Mumbai, India. Motilal Oswal allows users to purchase digital Gold at a starting price of INR 1,000. You can purchase 24k pure gold at the best price and keep it safe online.

    FinPlay

    Name FinPlay
    Founded 2021
    Minimum Investment INR 1
    Partnered with MMTC-PAMP
    FinPlay - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    FinPlay – Best Platform to Buy Digital Gold in India

    FinPlay is a game-based investment platform that is designed to bring two exciting themes of fintech and gaming together, making it one of the best gold investment apps in India. Founded by two IITians, FinPlay allows users to play games and earn FinCash awards, which they can redeem to get financial products at discounted rates on the platform, along with other rewards like Amazon coupons and more. Recognized as one of the best apps for gold investment, FinPlay offers a user-friendly approach to investing in digital gold, making it the best place to buy digital gold.

    FinPlay currently helps users with the opportunity to buy digital gold. FinPlay extends easy ways to invest in 24K, 99.99% Pure Gold, which is 100% safe and secure, and promises transparent pricing. The company also enables its customers and other investors to buy and invest in digital gold starting from Re 1, and is gearing up to become a major company that would let users invest in gold.


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    Zerodha

    Name Zerodha
    Founded 2010
    Minimum Investment 1 gram of Gold
    Partnered with Augmont Gold
    Zerodha - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Zerodha – Best Platform for Digital Gold

    Zerodha is India’s largest retail stockbroker by active client base and trading volume. It is a discount broker, meaning it charges lower commissions than traditional brokers. Zerodha is known for its innovative trading platforms and its focus on customer service.

    By expanding its reach into the e-hold trading industry, Zerodha has added another layer of innovation to its portfolio. It is a ground-breaking bargain brokerage. With a track record of disrupting the financial sector, it now provides a stable investment environment for digital gold. The platform’s commitment to customer satisfaction is reflected by the multitude of cutting-edge tools it provides, which equip users with the knowledge they need to make sound decisions and pave the way for an interesting and profitable e-gold investment experience.


    Zerodha Success Story: Founded | Founders | Business Model | Revenue Model | Journey
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    Tanishq

    Name Tanishq
    Founded 1994
    Minimum Investment INR 100
    Partnered with SafeGold
    Tanishq - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Tanishq – Best Digital Gold Platforms in India for Investment

    Tanishq is a leading Indian jewelry brand in the Tata Group. It is known for its high-quality jewelry and its commitment to ethical sourcing. Tanishq has a wide range of jewelry products, including gold, diamond, and platinum, making it one of the best apps for gold investment.

    Tanishq is also a pioneer in the digital gold space. It was the first jewelry brand in India to offer digital gold to its customers. Tanishq’s digital gold product, Tanishq e-gold, is powered by SafeGold, a digital gold provider regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

    You can sell or swap the gold at any of its 350+ outlets in India anytime. There are no additional fees for the app’s locker or transaction processing. It is one of the best platforms to invest in gold and one of the most reputable sites for purchasing gold in physical and digital forms because it is a Tata Group firm. Tanishq is a trusted brand with a long history of providing high-quality jewelry and ethical sourcing. Its digital gold product, Tanishq e-gold, is a convenient and affordable way for investors to invest in gold. Tanishq is considered as the safest and best app to buy digital gold.


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    Spare8

    Name Spare8
    Founded 2020
    Minimum Investment INR 10
    Partnered with Augmont & Paytm
    Spare8 - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Spare8 – Best Platform to Buy Digital Gold in India

    Founded in September 2021, FinPlay is currently led by Ganesh Kumar Anegondi (Co-founder and CEO) and is built to simplify long-term investing and is, therefore, great for first-time investors. The platform currently lists digital gold as the only asset, but is planning to launch mutual funds and stock baskets in the upcoming months. “Democratise finance and wealth management for millennials in India” is currently the mission of FinPlay. The startup further aims to emerge as the go-to wealth platform for millennials who are just starting their wealth creation journey. It is considered one of the best app for gold investment, as it offers a user-friendly approach to investing in digital gold.

    DigiGold

    Name DigiGold
    Founded 2020
    Minimum Investment INR 1
    Partnered with
    DigiGold - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    DigiGold – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    DigiGold is an investment platform by Amrapali Gujarat, founded in 2020, with 40+ years of legacy in Bulk Gold and Silver. Accredited by NABL and BIS, and supported by GGC and SEQUEL, DigiGold is one of the best apps to buy digital gold and is one of the best digital gold companies in India. Gold purchased by the users is stored in Government-trusted vaults of BRINKS. The minimum amount of purchase starts from just INR 1. They also offer a no-lock-in-period SIP in Gold with a minimum amount of INR 500 through periodic installments. With DigiGold, you can buy and possess a portion of massive gold, silver, and platinum bars that are safely stored in The Vault. DigiGold is considered as the best place to buy digital gold.

    Jupiter Money

    Name Jupiter Money
    Founded 2019
    Minimum Investment INR 10
    Partnered with MMTC-PAMP
    Jupiter Money - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Jupiter Money – Best App for Digital Gold Investment

    Jupiter Money is a digital payment app powered by Federal Bank, founded by Jitendra Gupta and Vishnu Jerome in 2019, and headquartered in Mumbai. The Jupiter Money app allows investors to buy/sell digital gold or start a No-penalty SIP starting at INR 10. Jupiter Money and MMTC-PAMP have teamed up to provide digital gold on the platform. You can invest in 24K gold that is 99.99% pure through Jupiter Money. Gold can be purchased and sold at current market prices at any time of day. With the app, you may store gold in safe vaults.


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    MMTC-PAMP

    Name MMTC-PAMP
    Founded 2008
    Minimum Investment INR 1
    Partnered with
    MMTC-PAMP - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    MMTC-PAMP – Best Platform to Invest in Gold

    MMTC-PAMP was founded in 2008 as a joint venture between MMTC Ltd. (a government of India undertaking and India’s largest public sector trading organization) and PAMP SA, a bullion brand based in Switzerland. Investors can redeem digital gold for 24K, 999.9 purest gold bars and coins from MMTC-PAMP. They can sell the digital gold back to MMTC-PAMP or gift/transfer the gold to a loved one using the platform.

    Gullak

    Name Gullak
    Founded 2022
    Minimum Investment 0.5 gm of gold
    Partnered with Augmont
    Gullak - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Gullak – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    Gullak is a savings and investment app founded by Manthan Shah, Dilip Jain, and Naimisha Rao in 2022. Recognized as the best digital gold investment app in India, Augmont and Gullak collaborated to create the leasing scheme known as Gullak’s Gold+. With the Gullak app, customers may safely lease their gold thanks to Gold+. Reputable, reliable, and established jewelers lease gold metal. Jewelers offer investment protection in the form of bank or corporate guarantees. The interest that these jewelers pay is expressed in grams of gold, and the users also benefit from this. The minimum quantity required to participate in Gold+ is 0.5 grams, and the maximum quantity is 250 grams.


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    Pluto Money

    Name Pluto Money
    Founded 2023
    Minimum Investment INR 100
    Partnered with Augmont
    Pluto Money - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Pluto Money – Best Digital Gold Investment digital

    Pluto Money, a goal-based saving platform that assists users in creating a secure financial future, was founded by Danish and Reev. It is known as one of the best apps to invest in gold. It assists users in establishing a savings habit, making low-risk investments, and reaching their financial objectives. With Pluto Money, investors can buy 24K, 99.9% pure gold and convert digital gold to physical gold, with delivery to your doorstep. To invest in digital gold, download the app, register, choose your investment amount, and complete your purchase.

    Plus Gold

    Name Plus Gold
    Founded 2022
    Minimum Investment INR 100
    Partnered with Augmont
    Plus Gold - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Plus Gold – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    Plus Gold is an Indian-based jewellery savings app that combines the simplicity of digital gold investment with the excitement of building a jewellery collection. Users can invest in gold through systematic investment plans (SIPs) or one-time purchases, with no lock-in period, allowing for easy redemption anytime. Purchases can be made using UPI, NEFT, net banking, IMPS, or RTGS, making it one of the best apps to buy digital gold.

    With Plus Gold, users earn a 10% extra gold benefit, receiving 1 gram of additional gold on every 10 grams purchased. Trusted by over 300 verified jewellers and redeemable at 1,000+ stores in 520+ cities, Plus Gold offers a secure and flexible way to save in gold for the future.

    Dvara SmartGold

    Name Dvara SmartGOld
    Founded 2019
    Minimum Investment INR 100
    Partnered with Jana Small Finance Bank (SFB)
    Dvara SmartGold - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Dvara SmartGold – Best Digital Gold Investment App

    Dvara SmartGold is a micro-savings platform that helps users build a financial safety net by investing in gold. Launched in 2019, it allows you to save in small, flexible installments through SIPs, and redeem your savings as cash, coins, or jewellery from trusted jewellers.

    With no fees or commissions on SIPs and secure storage in BRINKS vaults, Dvara SmartGold offers a simple, safe, and affordable way to grow your gold savings for future needs.

    Fiydaa

    Name Fiydaa
    Founded 2023
    Minimum Investment INR 5
    Partnered with Not publicly disclosed
    Fiydaa - Best Digital Gold Investment App
    Fiydaa – Best Platform to Buy Digital Gold in India

    Fiydaa is a digital gold investment platform designed for middle-class savers, letting you start with as little as INR 5. It offers flexible SIP options like DigiGold SIP (from ₹100), Lease SIP (earn extra 4% monthly in grams), and Gold Coin SIP (redeem coins later). With Fiydaa X, users can lease gold to earn up to 6% annually. All gold is securely stored and can be redeemed anytime for cash or physical delivery. Fiydaa also offers its jewelry line, Elegance.

    eBullion

    Name eBullion
    Founded 2020
    Minimum Investment Not disclosed
    Partnered with Not publicly disclosed
    eBullion – Best Platform to Buy Digital Gold in India

    eBullion is a complete digital gold investment platform that lets users buy, sell, and manage gold 24/7. It’s designed for both beginners and active investors who want full control and real-time insights. The platform offers live gold prices, smart price alerts, and detailed portfolio tracking. Users can set custom alerts to buy or sell at their preferred rates. All gold is 100% insured, stored in secure vaults, and can be redeemed anytime for cash or physical delivery. eBullion focuses on transparency, safety, and flexibility, making gold investing simple and convenient.


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    FAQs

    Can people buy E-Gold in India?

    Yes, you can buy digital gold in India through various digital gold investment platforms.

    Is digital gold better than physical gold?

    Digital gold is a better option than physical gold as it ensures safety and has no additional storage costs.

    What is E-gold in India?

    E-gold is held electronically in the demat form and can be freely converted into physical gold.

    Which is the best country to buy gold?

    If you are wondering about the best country to buy gold, it is Dubai, UAE.

    What is digital gold?

    Digital gold or e-gold is a virtual form of gold investment that one can make. The users can easily buy e-gold via the best gold investment apps available online and have it stored in secured vaults.

    What is the best way to buy digital gold?

    The best way to buy digital gold is through trusted apps like eBullion, Jar, or MMTC-PAMP that offer real-time prices, secure vault storage, and easy redemption.

    Which are the best Digital Gold Investment platforms in India?

    Some of the best Digital Gold Investment platforms in India are:

    • Paytm
    • Phonepe
    • Google Pay
    • Groww
    • Jar
    • Airtel Payments Bank
    • Amazon
    • HDFC Securities
    • Motilal Oswal
    • FinPlay
    • Upstox
    • Zerodha
    • 5paisa
    • Tanishq
  • Airtel Success Story – How is it Winning Customers for Life?

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Airtel.

    Airtel is a name that unites large numbers of people in India with billions of people all over the world. This telecom giant is currently one of the most reputable brands in the industry. Nothing short of remarkable can be said about the company’s journey from being a modest regional operator restricted to the city of Delhi to sclaing to become the second biggest mobile provider in the Asia Pacific region.

    The second-largest service provider in India, Airtel, said that the organisation has emerged “quite firmly” from the five-year tornado and is now highly solid, adding that it is under tremendous circumstances that an organization’s real institutions and character are tested.

    According to Sunil Mittal, Airtel’s chairman, telecom is among the most “professionalised” businesses in the nation and its solid organisational framework has helped the company weather wave after wave of adversity. He said that best-in-class personnel handle Airtel, which makes Airtel what it is today.

    An international provider of telecom services with headquarters in New Delhi is Bharti Airtel Limited, popularly known as Airtel.

    Know more about Airtel, its company history, the founder of Airtel, its business model, investments, etc., by reading this article further.

    Airtel – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Airtel
    Full Name Bharti Airtel Limited
    Headquarters Nelson Mandela Road, New Delhi, India
    Industry Telecommunications
    Founders Sunil Bharti Mittal
    Founded 7 July 1995
    Key people Sunil Bharti Mittal (Chairman), and Gopal Vittal ( CEO)
    Website airtel.com

    About Airtel and How it Works?
    Airtel – Industry
    Airtel – Name, Logo, and Tagline
    Airtel – Founders
    Airtel – Startup Story
    Airtel – Mission, and Vision Statement
    Airtel – Business Model
    Airtel – Growth
    Airtel – Joint Ventures
    Airtel – Sponsorships
    Airtel – Funding, and Investors
    Airtel – Investments
    Airtel – Acquisitions
    Airtel – Competitors
    Airtel – Challenges Faced
    Airtel – Future Plans

    About Airtel and How it Works?

    Bharti Airtel Ltd. does business in the provision of direct-to-home solutions, communications systems and services, and passive infrastructure services, The following business segments make up how the firm conducts its operations:

    Mobile services for Africa, India, and South Asia, as well as for Airtel Business, Tower Infrastructure Services, and Digital TV Services. The segment for mobile services in India and South Asia includes voice and data telecom services delivered through wireless technologies in those regions. The distribution of data and voice telecommunication solutions to customers in the African continent is covered under the Mobile Services Africa section.

    The voice and data communications based on fixed-network and broadband technologies are covered by the Telemedia Services category.

    The sector for digital broadcasting services offered over the direct-to-home network is called “Digital TV Services.” By acting as a single point of contact for all communications requirements spanning data and voice, network integration, and managed services, the Airtel Business sector encompasses end-to-end telecom solutions being delivered to big Indian and international organisations.

    Installing, running, and maintaining wireless communication towers in India are all included in the category called Tower Infrastructure Services.

    Mobile commerce services are included in the other’s section, along with administrative and support services.


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    Airtel – Industry

    Information may be transmitted using a variety of methods through the wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. This is known as telecommunication. As a result, slower systems (like postal mail) are not included in the field. It has its roots in humans’ need for communication at a distance greater than what is possible with the human voice, but with a similar level of expediency.

    The volume of the worldwide telecom services industry, which was estimated at USD 1,657.7 billion in 2021, is anticipated to rise at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2022 to 2028. One of the main drivers propelling this business is the increase in expenditure on the installation of 5G infrastructures as a result of the shift in consumer preference toward smartphone devices and next-generation technology.

    Other possible drivers of market expansion include an increase in mobile subscribers, skyrocketing high-speed data connectivity demand, and increased demand for value-added managed services.

    Unquestionably, one of the main areas for ongoing technical developments over the past few decades has been the worldwide communication network.

    Airtel – Name, Logo, and Tagline

    Company Logo of Airtel
    Company Logo of Airtel

    Airtel’s full name is Bharti Airtel.

    Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd, the original name of Bharti Airtel Ltd, was formed in 1995. Bharti Telecom Ltd., an Indian firm that was formed, pushed the business.

    The company claims that its distinctive symbol is an interpretation of the letter “a” from its name Airtel. It is warm and inviting, almost like a living thing, thanks to its curved shape and the soft accents on the red colour. It stands for an unstoppable dynamic force of energy that strengthens our relationship with our clients.

    Bharti Airtel’s tagline says, “Express Yourself.”

    Airtel – Founders

    Airtel was founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal in 1995.

    Founder of Airtel - Sunil Mittal
    Founder of Airtel – Sunil Mittal

    Sunil Bharti Mittal

    Bharti Enterprises, which includes holdings in telecom, retail, real estate, financial services, agri-products, and renewable energy, was founded and is led by Sunil Bharti Mittal. With more than 300 million users in South Asia and Africa, Bharti Airtel, the group’s core business, ranks third among all telecom providers globally.

    Presently, Sunil serves as the International Chamber of Commerce’s First Vice-Chairman (ICC). He also sits on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom Board, the Broadband Commission, the Prime Minister of Singapore’s Research, Innovation, and Enterprise Council, the Prime Minister of India’s Council on Trade and Industry, and the Chairman of the Telecom Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

    He is a member of the India-US, India-UK, and India-Japan CEO Forums and serves as co-chair of the India-Africa Business Council and the India-Sri Lanka CEO Forum. He formerly held the position of President of India’s leading business association, the Confederation of Indian Industry.

    One of India’s highest civilian honours, the Padma Bhushan, was given to Sunil. Sunil, a graduate of Harvard Business School, serves on the Governing Board of the Indian School of Business, the Board of Dean’s Advisors of Harvard Business School, and the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University. He is on the board of directors of the Qatar Foundation Endowment and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, respectively.

    Airtel – Startup Story

    Bharti Telecom Limited, which had its humble origins in the Indian telecom sector in 1986, is where Airtel got its start. When most of India was still using rotary phones in 1986, Sunil Bharti Mittal’s firm was the first to sell push-button phones in that nation. In their first joint venture, Siemens AG of Germany, they switched from importing push-button landlines from Taiwan to manufacturing them in India.

    To replace the outdated, clumsy telephones that were in use at the time, Sunil Mittal began making push-button phones in India in 1984. Previously, he had imported them from a Singaporean business, Singtel.

    To produce electronic push-button phones, Bharti Telecom Limited (BTL) was established and a technological partnership with Siemens AG of Germany was established. Bharti began producing fax machines, cordless phones, and other telecom equipment in the early 1990s. He gave the name “Mitbrau” to his first push-button phone.

    He acquired one of the four licences for mobile phone networks that were available for auction in India in 1992. With the French telecom company Vivendi, Mittal successfully closed a transaction. He was one of the first business people in India to see the mobile telecom industry as a key growth sector.

    When Bharti Cellular Limited was established to provide cellular services under the brand name Airtel, his plans were ultimately authorised by the government in 1994, and he debuted services in Delhi in 1995.

    Bharti was the first telecom provider to surpass the 2 million mobile subscriber threshold in a short period. Under the brand name “India one,” Bharti has reduced the STD cellular charges in India.

    Later, with innovation at its core, the business introduced several telecom technologies to the Indian market. Bharti Telecom Limited established the foundation for the business’ mobile activities in 1992 by acquiring a licence to construct a cellular network in Delhi.

    As Bharti Tele-Ventures, it started operating in Delhi in 1995. Through different collaborations and acquisitions, the service was expanded to several additional states.


    Reasons behind why Google might fund in Airtel
    On 28th August, it was announced that Airtel is soon going to get a huge investment from Google. Read to find out more info on the massive deal.


    Airtel – Mission, and Vision Statement

    Airtel’s vision statement says, “Our vision is to enrich the lives of our customers. Our obsession is to win customers for life through an exceptional experience. “

    Airtel’s mission statement says, “Hunger to win customers for life.”

    Airtel – Business Model

    The two primary areas of concentration for Airtel are company growth or expansion and client acquisition and servicing (retention). Their mission and vision clearly express that their ultimate objective is to become a telecom service that is appreciated across the world, with a primary focus on customer pleasure and the provision of cutting-edge services that are frequently more affordable than traditional offerings.

    Technology, network administration, backend programs, and other services are among the numerous tasks that are outsourced. Airtel was the first to use this business model, and it serves as an example for many new players.

    Apart from their advertising, marketing, and substantial funding, Airtel believes in contracting everything else and follows the “minutes factory” strategy of low price and high quantity.

    As the innovator of such a strategy, Airtel is well known for motivating tens of thousands of other businesses and entrepreneurs. In addition to Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Networks providing and maintaining Airtel’s equipment, Amdocs, a US-based company, offers Airtel the IT help the company needs.

    In addition to a B2B model registered under Airtel Business that supports entrepreneurs and SMEs, it also employs a B2C strategy to generate revenue from its clients. Airtel differentiates itself apart because of its distinctive business strategy, which tries to offer clients the greatest services at reasonable pricing.

    It is important to keep in mind that Airtel is not one of the businesses that have seen rapid expansion, but rather one that has established itself as the industry leader by innovating and deserving of that position.

    Further easing its path was the fact that it is one of the few telecom service providers to have understood the significance of value-added services (VAS) from the beginning.

    Airtel – Growth

    Airtel is not a startup that is unknown to growth. Being one of the market leaders, commanding the telecommunications industry of India, Airtel has seen a world of growth since it was founded back in 1995.

    Some of the major growth highlights of Airtel at a glance are:

    • Airtel is recognised as the 2nd largest mobile network operator in India and the 2nd largest in the world as well.
    • Airtel operates in 18+ countries across South Asia and Africa, and in the Channel Islands.
    • The company was chosen as the 2nd most valuable brand from India in the first-ever Brandz ranking
    • Airtel pioneered outsourcing all of its business operations as a business strategy. Yes, it outsources all of the operations except marketing, sales and finance
    • Airtel is credited for building the ‘minutes factory’ model of low cost and high volumes

    Airtel 5G Services

    Airtel has declared that it will be launching its 5G services later this month, as per reports dated August 10, 2022. The company CEO and MD, Gopal Vittal stated that the company will “extend to a pan-India rollout very soon” after starting the 5G services. These services will be further extended to 5000+ Indian towns and the key rural areas of the country by 2024. This will make it the biggest rollout in history.    

    Airtel – Joint Ventures

    Airtel-Vodafone

    Following the signing of a contract with Vodafone, Jersey Airtel, and Guernsey Airtel, two wholly-owned companies of the Bharti Group, announced on May 1 that they will begin offering mobile services in the British Crown Dependency islands of Jersey and Guernsey under the name Airtel-Vodafone. In Jersey and Guernsey, a 3G network is run by Airtel-Vodafone.

    Airtel-Ericsson

    Airtel’s mobile networks throughout Africa were managed and optimised by Ericsson under a five-year contract that Bharti and Ericsson inked in July 2011. With the most recent technologies, including its multi-standard RBS 6000 base station, Ericsson modernised and improved Airtel’s mobile networks throughout Africa.

    Ericsson also offered technology consultancy, network planning & design, and network implementation as part of the modernisation. In Asian operations, Ericsson has served as the managed services and network technology partner.

    Airtel – Sponsorships

    • Airtel and Manchester United struck a significant agreement on May 9, 2009. As a consequence of the agreement, Airtel was granted the right to broadcast the team’s games to its subscribers.
    • The Champions League Twenty20 cricket competition will now be sponsored by Bharti Airtel thanks to a five-year agreement they made with ESPN Star Sports.
    • Additionally, Airtel agreed to serve as the Indian Grand Prix’s headline sponsor.
    • The FIA GT World Cup for 2018–21 is sponsored by Airtel.
    • To serve as the I-title League’s sponsor for the 2013–14 season, Airtel inked a contract.
    • Since 2006, Airtel has been the primary sponsor of the Vijay TV shows Airtel Super Singer and Airtel Super Singer Junior.

    Airtel – Funding, and Investors

    Airtel has raised over $4.4 bn in over 7 funding rounds that the company has seen to date. The last funding round was led by Google, a part of which was completed on July 1, 2022, and allotment of shares part of the deal was completed on July 14, 2022. It was earmarked that Google would be picking up a minority stake of 1.28% then, from the telecom service provider. This deal was made after 5 months since it was proposed. It was on July 14th, 2022, that the telecom giant approved the allotment of more than 71.17 crore shares to the tech behemoth, Google, at an issue price of Rs 734 per equity share, which includes a premium of Rs 729.

    It was at a meeting of the ‘Special Committee of Directors for Preferential Allotment’ that this decision of the allotment of shares was taken. After this, now the stakes of Google in Airtel stand at 1.20% of the total post-equity shares or 1.17% of the telecom company on a fully-diluted basis.

    Date Round Amount lead Investors
    July 14, 2022 Post-IPO Equity $700M Google
    Jan 28, 2022 Corporate Round $300M Google
    Feb 25, 2021 Post-IPO Debt $1.3B
    Oct 9, 2019 Post-IPO Debt $750M
    Feb 5, 2018 Post-IPO Equity ₹26.5B Singtel
    Dec 13, 2017 Post-IPO Equity $350M Warburg Pincus
    Aug 22, 2016 Post-IPO Equity $659M

    Airtel – Investments

    Airtel has made 15 investments to date. The last Airtel investment was in Avaada Energy, where the company invested close to $1 mn on March 10, 2022. Here are the details of the recent Airtel investments:

    Date Organization Name Round Amount
    Mar 10, 2022 Avaada Energy Corporate Round $986.20K
    Feb 25, 2022 Indus Towers Post-IPO Secondary $299.09 mn
    Jan 31, 2022 Lavelle Networks Corporate Round
    Dec 18, 2021 Vahan Corporate Round
    Sep 15, 2021 Vahan Series A $7.38 mn
    Nov 21, 2020 Avaada MHBuldhana Private Equity Round $569.34K
    Sep 23, 2020 Waybeo Corporate Round
    Jun 17, 2020 Lattu kids Corporate Round
    Jun 9, 2020 Robi Axiata Corporate Round
    Oct 25, 2019 Vahan Seed Round

    Airtel – Acquisitions

    Quikmile was the last acquisition of Airtel that happened on November 26, 2019. There are a total of 7 acquisitions made by Airtel to date.

    Acquiree Name About Acquiree Date Amount
    Quikmile Integrated SaaS product for logistics. Nov 26, 2019
    AuthMe Id Services AuthMe Id Services develops and offers artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to resolve customer complaints and queries. Oct 3, 2018
    Telenor India Telenor, an Indian mobile network operator. Aug 3, 2017
    Tikona- 4G Tikona 4G Home Broadband is faster than fast, one can stream a video. Mar 24, 2017 ₹1.6B
    Telenor (India) Communications Pvt. Ltd. Telenor (India) Communications Pvt. Ltd. is a mobile network operator company. Feb 23, 2017
    MENA Submarine Cable Systems MENA Submarine Cable Systems is a carrier neutral cable operator. Dec 22, 2016 $100M
    Augere Augere is a wireless broadband business founded in 2007. Dec 31, 2015

    Airtel – Competitors

    Top competitors in the competitive list of Airtel are:

    • Reliance Jio
    • Vodafone (Europe, Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand)
    • Verizon Wireless (USA)
    • AT&T Mobility
    • Dialog Axiata Mobile Services
    • Tigo
    • TELUS Mobility
    • TIM
    • Grameenphone

    Airtel – Challenges Faced

    A code employed by the business was allegedly responsible for violating users’ privacy in June 2015.

    Even though India’s global telecom sector is one of the fastest-growing in the world, the Indian telecom market is overheated with 14 contenders and overcapacity.

    Additionally, the metro and other major cities have at least a 100% penetration rate, while rural India, which accounts for more than 60% of new subscribers, only has a 20% penetration rate.

    Rural super-stockists and Rural Distributors were included in the two-tiered structure that Airtel planned to construct. Young business owners assigned regions around a few cell towers, and the rural distributors were in charge of bringing in new clients.

    Consumers had a dread of technology, which added to the difficulties presented by distance in terms of service expectations. They refused to work with call centres. In rural India, Airtel established 25,000 Service Centers.

    In order to address service requests in addition to selling new connections and recharges, a specialised retailer in the village was trained. The retailer got more trust, which improved walk-in business, while Airtel offered in-person support contacts. Each circle has a hotline or call centre that offered this real-time backup support.

    Received concerns from consumers that their accounts were being established without their authorization, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) suspended Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank Limited’s licence for eKYC of Aadhar on December 16, 2017. In certain cases, LPG subsidies were even deposited into Airtel Payments Bank accounts.

    Airtel – Future Plans

    In order to meet the demands of India’s rapidly expanding digital economy, Bharti Airtel Limited (“Airtel”) launched a redesigned brand identity for its data centre business under the name “Nxtra by Airtel” and detailed investment plans. The largest network of data centres in India belongs to Nxtra by Airtel.

    Currently, it administers crucial submarine landing sites and runs 10 big and 120 edge data centres spread strategically across India. It provides a safe and scalable integrated solution to global hyperscalers, major Indian corporations, startups, SMEs, and governments when combined with Airtel’s global network.

    With the advent of 5G, a rapidly expanding digital economy, businesses moving to the cloud, and regional data storage laws, India is seeing a significant need for dependable data centre solutions. By 2023, the installed capacity of the Indian data centre market is anticipated to more than double, rising from around 450 MW to 1074 MW.

    In order to further expand its network of hyperscale and edge data centres, which is already the best in the business, Nxtra by Airtel expects to invest Rs 5,000 crores by 2025. New data centre parks will be added in significant metro areas. To address the soaring demand and solidify its network leadership, the investment would increase Nxtra by Airtel’s installed capacity to over 400 MW.

    Ajay Chitkara, Director and CEO, Airtel Business said “Airtel has built the largest data centre network in India and we are now doubling down on this business to scale up our network that will be at the core of 5G and Digital India. Our experience of operating secure data centres, deep brand trust in the enterprise segment and the ability to deliver end-to-end digital transformation solutions positions us well to serve the emerging requirements of India’s connected economy. The new brand identity embodies this vision and ambition.”

    Given the enormous energy demands of data centres, sustainability will continue to be a top priority. As part of Airtel’s overall GHG emission reduction ambitions, Nxtra by Airtel is already aggressively increasing the usage of green energy for its data centres and seeks to source 50% of the power requirements of these centres from renewable sources.

    Additionally, captive solar power plants owned by Nxtra by Airtel were recently put online in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, with more on the way.

    As India’s top ICT service provider, Airtel Business, the B2B division of Airtel, offers a wide range of products and services in a variety of fields, including voice, data, collaboration, work-from-home solutions, cloud, data centres, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, network integration, managed services, enterprise mobility, and digital media.

    FAQs

    Who is the founder of Airtel?

    Sunil Bharti Mittal is the founder of Airtel.

    Where is the Airtel headquarters?

    Airtel is headquartered in New Delhi, India.

    What is the revenue of Airtel?

    The revenue of Airtel is $15 billion as of 2022.

    Who is the CEO of Airtel?

    Gopal Vittal is the current CEO and MD of Airtel.

    What is Airtel Payments Bank?

    Airtel Payments Bank is a digital banking initiative from Airtel, which led the reputed telecommunications service provider to roll out a digital bank on January 12, 2017. The Airtel Payments Bank is currently billed as India’s first true digital bank and the largest bank for the underbanked.  

  • The Success Story Of Bharti Airtel: A Case Study

    Bharti Airtel is a public limited company commonly known as Airtel. It is an Indian telecom company, which is currently operating its business across South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands. It provides GSM in all the countries including 2G and 3G services. Due to its operations in more than 18 countries, Airtel is currently known as the 3rd largest mobile network operator across the globe with over a billion users and the 2nd largest mobile network operator in India.  

    Bharti Airtel’s Indian Customer Base, as of March 31, 2020, looked like this –

    • 283.7 million Mobile Services
    • 2.4 million homes
    • 16.6 million Digital TV Services

    Along with being one of India’s largest integrated telecom providers in India, Airtel is also famously ranked by Millward Brown and WPP plc in the first-ever Brandz ranking as the most valuable brand. At the end of September 2020, Airtel had around 440 Mn customers across its operations. It was known as the 3rd largest cellular service provider in India after beating China Unicom with 303 million subscribers, when reported back in August 2015.

    Along with the telephony network that Airtel provides, where the company offers prepaid and postpaid networks, it also offers broadband and DTH services for its customers. It also acts as a carrier for national and international long distances communication services. The company has a submarine cable landing station in Chennai which connects the submarine cable between Chennai and Singapore. One of the other services provided by Airtel is the Airtel Money (commerce platform in collaboration with Infosys).

    Airtel is also hailed as the first Telco to launch Multiplex in Metaverse, a milestone it achieved when it unveiled Metaverse multiplex on the PartyNite Metaverse platform, which is the first Metaverse multiplex in India.

    On this note, let’s look at this StartupTalky Bharti Airtel company profile, which brings the Airtel case study, competitions, Bharti Airtel subsidiaries, products, Airtel employees, Airtel telecom founded in, Airtel net worth, hiring culture, policies, Airtel’s history, Airtel’s customer base, achievements, and more.

    Bharti Airtel Case Study
    Who dominates Mobile Subscription?

    Bharti Airtel – Company Highlights

    Company Name Bharti Airtel Limited
    Established July 7, 1995 (as a Public ltd. company)
    Corporate Office New Delhi
    Funding $5.1+ Bn (2022)
    Revenue US$14 billion (2021)
    CEO Gopal Vittal
    Founder Sunil Bharti Mittal (Net Worth – $13.20 bn)
    Listed in BSE and NSE
    Stock Exchange Symbol NSE – BHARTIARTL, BSE – 532454
    Subsidiaries Wynk, Airtel Digital TV, Airtel Xstream & more


    About Bharti Airtel
    A Brief History of Bharti Airtel
    Bharti Airtel – Name, Tagline and Logo
    Bharti Airtel – Mission and Vision
    Bharti Airtel as The Market Champion
    Bharti Airtel – HR Strategies
    Bharti Airtel – Service Rule and Regulation of Employees
    Bharti Airtel – Promotion Policy and Wage Structure
    Bharti Airtel – Training and Development of Employees
    Bharti Airtel – Hiring Process
    Bharti Airtel – Incentives and Benefits
    Bharti Airtel – Partnerships
    Bharti Airtel – Awards and Recognition
    Bharti Airtel – Future Plans
    Recommendations


    Sunil Bharti Mittal | Founder & Chairman of Bharti Enterprises | Bharti Airtel | Bharti Foundation |
    Sunil Bharti Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur who serves as the Founder andChairman of Bharti Enterprises. The company has diversified into telecom,insurance, real estate, hospitality, malls, Agri, foods and other businesses aswell. Bharti Airtel [https://startuptalky.com/case-study-bharti-airtel/…


    About Bharti Airtel

    The name “Airtel” is something that is not only popular in India but has been a buzzword since the company was founded back in 1995. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, Bharti Airtel is a multinational telecommunication company with roots in the Indian subcontinent, which currently serves users of over 18 countries. The telecom giant has provided 2G, 3G, 4G+ and 4G LTE networks, fixed-line broadband connections, and voice services, which are based on the country of operation. Besides, it has also launched the Volte service.

    The Bharti Airtel company outsources all of its business operations except marketing, sales, and finance and is often credited with being the pioneer of such a business model. Besides, many of today’s telecom service providers also look up to Airtel for the same, which are now working on similar business models. Besides, Airtel is also hailed as the pioneer of the minutes’ factory model of low-cost and high volumes. The equipment that Airtel uses are provided for and maintained by companies like Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Networks. On the other hand, its IT support is provided by Amdocs.

    A Brief History of Bharti Airtel

    The Airtel founder, Sunil Mittal had primarily set up his business Bharti Overseas Trading Company in 1980, which was an import enterprise where he dealt with generators and more. Then he saw a push-button phone in Taiwan in 1984, seeing that he eventually started to assemble similar phones. Focusing on the same, he founded Bharti Telecom Limited in the early 1990s. Though he started with manufacturing fax machines, cordless phones, and other telecom gear, he soon discovered that the Indian government was inviting bids for mobile telephony in 1992, and Sunil was successful in bidding for one of the four mobile phone network licensed auctioned.

    He later went for collaborating with the French telecom group Vivendi, which eventually agreed to do business with him in spite of Mr Mittal being a small timer at that time. This led him to launch his cellular services in Delhi in 1995. Thus, Bharti Cellular Limited was formed to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel. In 1996, cellular service extended to Himachal Pradesh. In 1999, the Bharti Enterprise went on to acquire control of JT holdings and extended cellular operations to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Then, in 2000, Bharti acquired control over Skycell communications in Chennai.

    In 2001, the company acquired control of the Spice cell in Kolkata. Next, the company got listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange. In 2003, all the cellular phone operations of the company were summed up under the single brand of Airtel. Airtel then acquired control over Hexcom and entered Rajasthan in 2005. It then extended its network all across India in 2005 and launched its first international mobile network in Sri Lanka.

    It was under the direction of the company’s Founder, Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal that the company became very successful and within a few years, AirTel turned into the first telecom company to cross the 2-million mobile subscriber mark.

    On 13th February 2008, Bharti Airtel Limited, the leading telecommunication company in India, crossed the 60 million customer mark. The wireless segment constituted 96% of BAL total customer base. The valuation of BAL then stood at $40 billion in 2008. BA was the fastest in the world and added 8 million customers in 2008. This puts Bharti Airtel among the top telecom companies in the world. Its next target was to reach 100 million mark by 2010. This was also crossed by the company. Airtel is currently standing with a subscriber base of around 354.40 million subscribers in 2021.

    Bharti Airtel Brand Value
    Bharti Airtel Brand Value (Source: statista.com)

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    Airtel’s actual name was Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL), the company which later began to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel.

    “AISI AZADI AUR KAHAN” is one of the prominent taglines adopted by Airtel.

    Airtel Logo
    Airtel logo

    Bharti Airtel – Mission and Vision

    “Hunger to win customers for life” is the mission of Airtel.

    Our vision is to enrich the lives of our customers. Our obsession is to win customers for life through an exceptional experience.” – says the Vision statement of the brand.

    Bharti Airtel as The Market Champion

    Airtel strives to align its HR strategies with its corporate strategy. The HR team makes sure to see if the organization teams have the same attitude that would help employees realize the vision of the company. The company emphasizes recruiting young people with an average age of 26 years. This is done because the company wants to bring in young entrants and would them as per the business organization and at the same time, enhance their interaction and creativity.

    Senior management was advised by the HR management as they are encouraged to put forward their views openly in order, to play a more proactive role in team-building efforts. This was further augmented by a reward and recognition system along with a strong training program. As a part of the planning process, the entire organization is measured on five performance parameters, which includes its financial performance, profitability, market share, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction.

    Bharti Airtel – Growth

    Bharti Airtel has grown hugely throughout the years in the telecommunication sector. The company is currently spread across 18+ different countries including those in South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands. Building a big name for itself, Airtel is currently known as the second-largest mobile network in India along with being the second-largest mobile network in the world.

    Along with offering an efficient mobile network, Airtel also brings a wide array of products and services to its customers:

    • Broadband
    • Digital television
    • Banking
    • Business
    • Android-based tablet

    Airtel unveiled on June 14, 2022, it’s first, which is, in fact, India’s first Metaverse platform on the PartyNite Metaverse platform. Xstream multiplex, which Airtel launched, is designed as a 20-screen platform and will be an extension of Airtel’s Xstream Premium offering. Such a platform will leverage the content library of Airtel and will offer many more layers of engagement, thereby allowing the users to interact on the PartyNite Metaverse. This new Airtel multiplex will offer a sampling of the original shows and movies in many other languages along with those in English and Hindi.

    Airtel and Jio, it seems, are quite locked together to gain market share in India. According to the TRAI data for April 2022, Jio held a 35.5% market share in the wireless telecom market of the country whereas Airtel was positioned at the second spot with a market share that equalled 31.61%.  

    Google has picked up a minor and non-controlling 1.28% stake in Airtel for $700 mn, as per the reports dated July 1, 2022. The deal comes after around 5 months since it was proposed. This deal is part of the larger Google For India Digitisation Fund, which the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, announced in July 2020. The tech behemoth also said then that it would keep an additional $300 mn worth of funds for potential multi-year commercial agreements with Airtel. This investment in Bharti Airtel marks the second Google investment in India. The first was when Google invested $4.5 bn in Jio in 2020, picking up a 7.73% stake in the company. This investment from Google will help both Airtel and Google to ramp up the telco’s enterprise cloud solutions, which are being operated currently with Amazon. The deal would also help both parties to work unitedly to create an array of affordable Android devices in partnership with the device manufacturers. Moreover, the deal would also help them develop 5G use cases specific to India and create multiple network solutions. The shares of Airtel were allocated on July 14, 2022, when Bharti Airtel approved the allotment of more than 71.17 crore shares to Google at an issue price of Rs 734, which includes a premium of Rs 729 per equity share. In the conclusion of this, Google’s stakes in Airtel stand at 1.20% of the total post-equity shares or 1.17% of the telecom company on a fully-diluted basis.

    Airtel Financials and Revenues

    The average revenue per user of Airtel rose to Rs 178 crore in the January-March quarter of 2022. This rise was mainly due to the strong user additions, higher tariffs, and one-time gains. The consolidated net profits of Airtel increased by 164% to become Rs 2008 crore in FY22.


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    Bharti Airtel- Service Rule and Regulation of Employees

    In Airtel, you are an at-will employee, this means you are working at your own will without any force or pressure before you join the company. You must sign terms and condition agreement that will state the corporate governance of the company which is:

    • Employees must report to their superiors and maintain disciplinary work.
    • All employees will be paid monthly by cheque procedure.
    • In case of leave, employees must draft a detailed application mentioning the reason for leave.
    • A lunch break of 1 Hour will be provided.

    Bharti Airtel- Promotion Policy and Wage Structure

    AirTel engages a policy under which an employee gets his/her due promotion in the organization, which is a reward for an excellent performance. Under the rules that govern the promotion, AirTel states that the employee must have successfully completed 6 months to be eligible for promotion in Airtel. The internal application process is carried out and all the previous records are checked and the performance is analyzed.

    The internal relationship between different jobs and wages helps the firm to decide its wage structure. 60% of its employees have a variable pay structure where they get paid according to the work done. The company considers factors such as performance and maintains internal equity to ensure people at the same level are paid for the same amount of work.

    The success story of Bharti Airtel

    Bharti Airtel – Training and Development of Employees

    Airtel has a vast pool of human resources that are upgraded from time to time in terms of leadership and technical skills through various outsourced and in-house training and development activities such as process and project management skills and technical skills. By providing world-class resources and combined efforts by Airtel many employees are being trained to become future leaders. The company’s HR is continuously working on launching various initiatives like on-job training, programmed learning, simulated development, and computed-based training.

    The on-job training is where a person learns a job actually doing it. Every employee from the mailroom, from a clerk to the CEO, gets job training when they join the company. Informal learning is used as 80% of the employees learn on the job they learn not through informal training, including performing their jobs on a daily basis in collaboration with their colleagues.

    The company provides a job instruction training program that takes place every month in Airtel in which a logical sequence of steps is taught step by step. On a quarterly basis programmed learning is followed by Airtel in which self-learning methods consist of Presenting questions, facts, or problems to the learner and allowing the person to respond.


    Airtel Launches Startup Accelerator Program to Support Startups
    New Delhi, October 25, 2019: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largestintegrated telecommunications company, today announced the launch of its StartupAccelerator Program to support growth of early stage Indian tech startups. Withthe advent of its Start-up Accelerator Program, Airtel aims to suppo…


    Bharti Airtel – Hiring Process

    • Application – In Airtel existing openings are monitored and accordingly position procedures are being carried out matching candidates’ profiles and areas of interest.
    • Screening – Matching of the profile is done by the company with respect to its requirements and needs.
    • Assessment – An aptitude test is required for the job of the front line sales. For considering the middle and senior-level job occupational personality questionnaire was done.
    • Interview – Airtel takes 1 to 3 rounds for the interview process. Then the final appointment letter is being offered with the company’s terms & conditions memo, which every employee must sign.

    Different Policies the Companies have Adopted to Upskill the Employees
    Today, business [https://startuptalky.com/tag/business/] has changed its pattern. Technology [https://startuptalky.com/tag/technology/] is must to run any business. Anybusiness can invest in advanced technologies, but creating a workforce that’sready to use them is much harder. So, Upskilling em…


    Bharti Airtel – Incentives and Benefits

    Airtel has an incentive pay scheme managers often use two terms synonymously incentive plan for the employees that are applicable to sales over the target achieved. Merit pay as incentives is generally done by the company for excellent performance by the employee in the last term of his/her employment. The other non-monetary incentives include Employee recognition, Gifts, Special events, merchandise incentives, and free training programs.

    When it comes to the benefits, they are indirect financial and non-financial payments employees receive for continuing their employment. They include things like health and life insurance pensions, time off with pay, and child care assistance.  The company also provides Life and Health insurance for families and dependents. Different types of leaves like study leave, extraordinary leave, petrol allowance, and family holidays.

    Along with helping the employees on many different fronts, Airtel also cares for others as well, especially the startups of today.

    Airtel Launches Startup Accelerator Program to Support Startups

    Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest integrated telecommunications company, announced the launch of its Startup Accelerator Program on October 25, 2019, to support the growth of early-stage Indian tech startups. With the advent of its Start-up Accelerator Program, Airtel aims to support the creation of a vibrant startup ecosystem that contributes to “Digital India”.

    Through Airtel’s Startup Accelerator, early startups get access to Airtel’s online and offline distribution network, deep market understanding, and ecosystem of global strategic partners. In addition, Airtel has also developed strong in-house capabilities around machine learning and artificial intelligence, which could be leveraged to aid the growth of startups. Furthermore, startups also get access to advisory services from Airtel’s executive team.

    Vahan was the first to join Airtel Startup Accelerator. Airtel announced the induction of Bengaluru-based tech startup Vahan into its Startup Accelerator Program. Airtel will acquire a stake in Vahan and partner with them in building a significant scale to achieve their vision of enabling jobs for the next billion internet users. Founded in 2016 and backed by Y Combinator and Khosla Ventures, Vahan leverages advanced Artificial Intelligence to match job seekers with employers inside messaging apps such as Whatsapp. It is focused on finding blue collar jobs for millions of young Indians in Delivery, Driving, Retail, BFSI, BPO and Hospitality sectors with companies such as Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo as clients.

    Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel said:

    Today, early stage startups in India have some very exciting ideas but face multiple challenges in scaling up. With Airtel’s scale and digital capabilities around distribution and payments, we have the potential to drive accelerated growth of emerging startups that are solving hard problems. The team at Vahan is doing some incredible work to bring jobs to millions of people through AI based technology. We are excited to partner with them on this vision.

    Madhav Krishna, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vahan, said: “

    Airtel will be a key partner for us as we look to solve a hard problem for Bharat. Most blue-collar job seekers are unaware of the opportunities that exist in the market, especially new-age on-demand jobs. Airtel’s distribution channels will help us reach the very depths of the country and in turn, help millions of Indians take control of their economic destiny. We are incredibly excited about this partnership.

    Bharti Airtel – Partnerships

    Bharti Airtel has seen a considerable number of partnerships and collaborations to date. Some of them are mentioned below:

    • Bharti Airtel partnered with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco on April 28, 2022, in order to help in the development of state-of-the-art ambulances that will be equipped with Airtel 5G.
    • The company partnered with Mavenir for open radio access network-based 5G field trials. The first Open RAN-based 5G NSA validation was done on April 5, 2022.
    • Airtel and Tech Mahindra partnered together to “build and market innovative solutions for India’s digital economy by bringing together their core strengths”, said an Airtel PR dated March 31, 2022.
    • A PR rolled out by Airtel on December 14, 2021, stated that the company partnered with Capgemini to announce 5G-based enterprise-grade solutions to the Indian market.
    • Bharti Airtel and TCS collaborated to build a 5G-based remote working technology using robotics on December 2, 2021.
    • BlueJeans – Bharti partnered with Verizon to launch BlueJeans, a video conferencing platform like JioMeet. The platform can accommodate 50,000 attendees and is simple and intuitive to use. With the launch of BlueJeans, Airtel and Verizon tend to provide a safer video conferencing experience to the customers. Hans Vestberg, Chief Executive Officer of Verizon, said during a virtual press conference that the data of all the customers will be hosted in India and stored within the data centres all over India. The per-call costs have also been dropped to INR 0.50. It is also having the Airtel Auto Bridge feature, which allows users to benefit from an unlimited calling feature within the National/International range. This new feature also consists of HD video calling with Dolby voice support. It also allows users to schedule, join or host the meets with the one-click feature. With the involvement of ‘Smart Meetings’ feature in BlueJeans it will allow the user to get hold of the important points and assign certain actions to the people. They are also trying to add certain packages for the enterprises in the upcoming days. Vittal said in a statement, “We will have three kinds of packages for our consumers one for large enterprise, the second one for medium, and the third for tiny or small business. We will reveal packages for BlueJeans over the next few days.” The company is also sure that the prices will be competitive. Airtel has been a new entry in the video conferencing sector shortly after the launch of JioMeet by Reliance Jio. Players from the telecom Industry entering the video conferencing sector will be interesting. It is making a great competitive market in this industry. BlueJeans was founded by Krish Ramakrishnan and Alagu Periyannan, in India only. The first prototype was tested back in 2009 and 2012 in Pune at the company’s research and department centre. However, Verizon, in May 2020, tried to acquire it and give it a boost. It will be interesting to see how things go in the upcoming days and brings us interesting content.

    The Top 50 Richest Indians in 2020: A comprehensive list
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    Bharti Airtel – Awards and Recognition

    Some of the major achievements and milestones earned by Bharti Airtel are listed below –

    • AirtelThanks App was recognized as one of the most innovative mobile application in the prestigious ET Telecom Awards 2020.
    • Airtel won four awards in each category of Video Experience, Games Experience, Voice App Experience and Download Speed Experience in the Open Signal Report in September 2020, for the second time in a row.
    • Airtel Xstream Fiber won the Best Broadband Service Provider in ET Telecom Awards 2020.
    • Airtel ranked 4th in the category of “The top 10 most valuable Indian brands 2019” as per WPP Kantar Survey.
    • Airtel Business won the “Best Partnership” award at Telecoms World Middle East Awards 2019 for partnering with Telecom Egypt.
    • Airtel Business won 3 prestigious awards at Global Carrier Awards 2019, namely, Best Global Wholesale Carrier – Voice, Best Voice Service Innovation – Emerging Markets and Best Security Solution.
    • Airtel Finance shared services team has bagged the coveted Digital Initiative Award by HDFC bank in the Large Customer Category.
    • Airtel Business has been awarded as the “Enterprise Data Service Provider of the Year” and the “Enterprise Telecom Service Provider of the Year” in the large enterprise segment at the Frost and Sullivan ICT Awards
    • App Annie ranked Wynk Music as India’s #1 music streaming app in terms of Daily Active Users in October 2019.

    And the list goes on & on…

    Bharti Airtel – Future Plans

    Bharti Airtel is currently planning to launch its 5G services in the country. The Union Cabinet earlier gave its nod for the auction of 72 GHz of 5G spectrum, which is planned to be conducted in July 2022.

    Recommendations

    Bharti Airtel is currently doing incredibly well in recent times it is expected with same quality services and has the prospective to overtake China’s Unicom in a few years making Airtel one of the world leaders when it comes to being a world leader in telecommunication. This is possible because of the company’s expansion in African and Asian countries making it a global company.  Airtel also has good relations with its business partners like Ericsson, Siemens, and IBM.

    The company has strong HR policies that help in maintaining its corporate governance structure. The profit and assets are also increasing at a considerably good rate, making its turnover cross $643.25 bn. Good customer schemes and support services make Airtel capture a major chunk of the competitive market.

    FAQs

    What is the difference between Airtel and Bharti Airtel?

    Bharti Airtel and Airtel are the same company, a subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises.

    Is Bharti Airtel an Indian company?

    Bharti Airtel Limited is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company.

    How many employees are there in Airtel?

    There were over 17K employees in Airtel in 2021.

    When was Airtel founded?

    Airtel was founded on July 7, 1995.

    Who is the founder of Airtel?

    Airtel was founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal.

    What is the Airtel company owner’s name?

    Bharti Airtel is a subsidiary owned by Bharti Enterprises.

  • Mastercard to invest $100 million in Airtel Africa’s Mobile Money

    The global payments giant Mastercard has announced that it will invest $100 million in Airtel Africa’s mobile money business which runs under Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV). Let’s look at the information regarding the deal and the future plans of the company.

    What is Airtel Mobile Commerce BV
    Recent Investments to Airtel Africa’s mobile money
    Future Plans of Mastercard in Africa
    FAQ

    What is Airtel Mobile Commerce BV

    Airtel Mobile Commerce BV is currently the company that undertakes and controls the major mobile money operations of Airtel Africa. The company also intends to operate and own all the mobile money business in 14 other countries of Africa which are operating under Airtel Africa.

    Airtel Mobile Commerce BV’s services are mainly focused on the unbanked market of the 14 countries of Airtel Africa. Their services include mobile wallet deposits, mobile wallet withdrawals, commercial payments, merchant payments, provision of loans, the opportunity for savings, benefit transfers, virtual credit cards, and international money transfers.

    Currently, the company has around 21 million users for its set of mobile payment services. The company had generated a revenue of $110 million in the recent quarter. They have an underlying EBITDA (Earnings before income, tax, depreciation, and amortization) of $54 million.

    Airtel Mobile Commerce BV operates one of the largest financial services in the continent. It has a valuation of around $2.65 billion.

    Number of customers of Bharti Airtel Limited
    Number of customers of Bharti Airtel Limited

    How the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program is helping Startups Grow
    One of India telecom giants Bharti Airtel launched its Startup AcceleratorProgram in 2019 to support growth of early stage Indian tech startups. With theadvent of its Startup Accelerator Program, Airtel aims to support the creationof a vibrant startup ecosystem that contributes to Digital India. …


    Recent Investments to Airtel Africa’s mobile money

    Airtel Mobile Commerce BV received a recent investment of $200 million from TPG’s Rise Fund. The company will own a 7.55% stake in the Airtel Africa’s mobile money service company AMC BV.

    After closing the deal with TPG’s Rise Fund the company had plans to have a discussion on selling additional minority stakes of the company which will be around 25% of the issued share capital. They had plans to sell it to potential investors.

    Airtel Mobile Commerce BV had announced its most recent investor which is the global payments giant Mastercard. Mastercard has announced that it would invest an amount of $100 million in the company. The company will own a 3.775% stake in Airtel Africa’s mobile money business after the completion of the deal.

    The transaction of Mastercard is expected to close in two different portions. The first portion is expected to be closed at $75 million which will be finalized by the next 4 months and an amount of $50 million to be invested in the second phase.

    In addition to the investments, they received from TPG’s Rise Fund and the global payments giant Mastercard, Airtel’s Africa is raising funds by selling off some assets. It is reported that recently the company has sold around 1,400 telecommunication towers to Helios in Madagascar and Malawi. The transaction is expected to be $119 million.

    Both the companies Airtel Africa and Helios to trade tower assets in Chad and Gabon. The details regarding this transaction are not yet disclosed.


    How Jio is Leading the 5G Race in India [Case Study]
    The 5G era is proving to be a game-changer for the Indian telecom industry. Thesecond most populous country in the world is India with a total of 1.2 billioninternet users. Indian telecom companies are constantly on the lookout for newinnovative ways to boost the growth of digital medium and the …


    Future Plans of Mastercard in Africa

    Airtel Africa and Mastercard are two individual firms that are stronger to one another. Both the companies had already got into a deal in 2019. The deal provided an opportunity for Airtel Africa’s 100 million subscribers to receive access to the global network of Mastercard.

    There 2019 partnership did not have any money exchange. In the most recent deal of Airtel Africa and Mastercard has extended their commercial agreements and have signed a new commercial structure that is focused on improving their partnership in different countries around the globe.

    They are planning to concentrate on areas such as issuing of cards, payment processing, payment gateway, merchant acceptance, remittance solutions, etc. amongst the other services provided by the companies.

    The CEO of Airtel Africa Raghunath Mandava said, that they were pleased to welcome Mastercard as an investor in their mobile money business. He also added that, this partnership is a continuation of their strategy to increase the minority shareholding of the company’s mobile money business. He said that they have a further intention of listing the business in the next four years.

    The CEO also added that they are working towards strengthening their existing relationship with Mastercard which will help them realize the full potential of their considerable opportunity. This is to improve their financial inclusion in all the countries they are currently operating.

    Airtel Mobile Commerce BV’s plan of selling the minority stake of the company to Ride Fund, Mastercard, and other potential investors is based on the telecom operator Airtel Africa’s belief to raise enough funds to monetize its mobile money business.

    FAQ

    What is Airtel Mastercard?

    The Mastercard virtual card allows Airtel Money customers, to make payments to local and global online merchants that accept Mastercard cards.

    Is Airtel Money wallet safe?

    Airtel Money Wallet is an RBI approved payments wallet.

    Where is the headquarters of Airtel?

    The headquarters of Airtel is located in New Delhi, India.

    Conclusion

    The company’s efforts are to work towards the pursuit of investment opportunities, asset monetization, and ultimately reduction of debt in the company.