The Sunil Mittal interview: Airtel debt-free by 2029. Buybacks next?
Bharti Airtel is in focus.
· LiveMint Companies, NDTV Profit
After 50 years of building businesses, Sunil Bharti Mittal expects Airtel to be debt-free by 2029. With the balance sheet getting stronger, could share buybacks be the telecom giant's next big move? Mittal also discusses AI, data centres and the next phase of growth.
The analysis
Against that, the stock is +0.5% on the day at ₹2,106.00, and has returned +8.6% 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 +2.7% over the same period, so Bharti Airtel is running 5.9 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.
- Over three months: Bharti Airtel +8.6% against Telecom & Media +2.7% (5.9 points ahead).
| Company | Price | Day | 1M | 3M | From 52-wk high | Volume vs 20-day | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bharti AirtelBHARTIARTL · Telecom & Media | ₹2,106.00 | +0.5% | +16.6% | +8.6% | -2.6% | 0.6× | — |
Telecom & Media
1M +3.3% · 3M +2.7%
Bharti Airtel
Prices as of 13 Nov 2026, 16:10 IST. Sector moves are the average of the stocks we track in each sector.
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