Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel is doubling down on Africa venture, UK's BT

Key points

• A man uses his phone as he passes by a signage of Airtel at the India Mobile Congress 2025 in Delhi, India, on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Kabir Jhangiani/NurPhoto via Getty Images) India's second-largest telecom company, Bharti Airtel, is doubling down on its Africa and U.K. bets, joining a growing number of companies from the South Asian country that are looking to expand their global footprints.
• Bharti Airtel on Thursday sought shareholders' approval to increase its stake in the U.K-listed Airtel Africa to 79% from around 62.7% in a cashless share-swap deal, worth 282.22 billion rupees ($2.9 billion), the Indian firm said in an exchange filing.
• Africa is a "high-growth potential" market for the Indian company and accounts for over a quarter of Bharti Airtel's consolidated revenue in the financial year ending March 2026, it added.
• Bharti is also seeking to raise its stake in British multinational telecommunications firm...