‘It’s been a world war’: Sunil Bharti Mittal says Indian telecom sector has been a real battleground
Bharti Airtel is in focus.
· Business Today Mkts
Sunil Bharti Mittal said he was of the view that Airtel did not have the resources to “match anywhere” close to Jio. He believed it would be for the best if they lied low and let the storm pass.
The analysis
Against that, the stock is +1.8% on the day at ₹2,109.00, and has returned +10.1% over three months. It is trading close to its 52-week high, so expectations were already elevated going in. The telecom & media sector has moved +3.4% over the same period, so Bharti Airtel is running 6.7 points ahead of its peers.
For Bharti Airtel, the question is how much of this is already reflected in the price and how much re-rates the telecom & media peer set alongside it.
Market context
- In focus: Bharti Airtel (BHARTIARTL), in Telecom & Media.
- On the day, 2 of 2 are higher: Bharti Airtel leads at +1.8% and Reliance Industries (Jio) trails at +0.8%.
- Over three months: Bharti Airtel +10.1% against Telecom & Media +3.4% (6.7 points ahead); Reliance Industries (Jio) +0.9% against Oil & Energy -0.9% (1.8 points ahead).
| Company | Price | Day | 1M | 3M | From 52-wk high | Volume vs 20-day | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bharti AirtelBHARTIARTL · Telecom & Media | ₹2,109.00 | +1.8% | +16.8% | +10.1% | -2.5% | 0.9× | — |
| Reliance Industries (Jio)RELIANCE · Oil & Energy | ₹1,335.40 | +0.8% | +14.1% | +0.9% | -16.1% | 0.8× | — |
Telecom & Media
1M +4.9% · 3M +3.4%
Bharti Airtel
Oil & Energy
1M +5.7% · 3M -0.9%
Reliance Industries (Jio)
Real Estate
1M +5.6% · 3M -6.4%
Prices as of 11 Nov 2026, 16:10 IST. Sector moves are the average of the stocks we track in each sector.
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