iWorld
Airtel rings up big numbers but the bill is getting heavier
MUMBAI: When the phone keeps ringing, the challenge is not answering the call, it’s paying for it. Bharti Airtel’s consolidated results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025 show a business still growing at scale, but one increasingly weighed down by rising costs, taxes and balance-sheet pressures.
The telecom major reported consolidated revenue of Rs 53,982 crore for the December quarter, up from Rs 45,129 crore a year earlier, driven by steady growth in India mobile services and a sharp acceleration in Africa. For the nine months ended December 2025, revenue climbed to Rs 1,55,528 crore, compared with Rs 1,25,109 crore in the corresponding period last year.
Operating momentum, however, told a more nuanced story. Profit before depreciation, amortisation, finance costs and tax stood at Rs 23,199 crore in the quarter, while rising depreciation (Rs 13,420 crore) and finance costs (Rs 5,623 crore) continued to eat into the bottom line. Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 12,301 crore, down from Rs 16,892 crore in the same quarter last year, reflecting the combined impact of higher costs and exceptional items.
After accounting for taxes of Rs 3,796 crore, Airtel posted a profit of Rs 8,503 crore for the quarter, compared with Rs 6,631 crore a year ago. For the nine-month period, profit after tax rose to Rs 27,696 crore, up from Rs 21,000 crore last year, aided by operational leverage and strong overseas performance.
Africa emerged as a standout engine. Mobile services Africa generated Rs 15,010 crore in quarterly revenue, up from Rs 10,703 crore a year earlier, while segment profit nearly doubled to Rs 5,070 crore, underscoring the region’s growing importance to Airtel’s overall growth narrative.
India mobile services remained the group’s largest contributor, clocking Rs 28,652 crore in revenue for the quarter, with segment profit of Rs 9,091 crore, supported by higher data usage and premium customer additions. Airtel Business delivered Rs 5,353 crore in revenue, while homes services broadband and DTH contributed Rs 2,001 crore, reflecting steady but slower expansion.
The balance sheet, though, shows the cost of scale. Total consolidated assets stood at Rs 5,29,406 crore as of December 31, 2025, while total liabilities were Rs 3,60,393 crore, keeping leverage firmly in focus. Finance costs for the nine-month period rose to Rs 14,839 crore, highlighting the ongoing burden of network investments and spectrum obligations.
Earnings per share for the December quarter stood at Rs 11.44, down from Rs 11.72 a year earlier, while nine-month EPS came in at Rs 33.42.
The takeaway is clear. Airtel is still dialling up growth especially beyond India but sustaining profitability is becoming a tougher call. As network investments, spectrum costs and taxes stack up, the next phase will test whether revenue growth can keep ringing louder than the costs chasing it.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
