Airtel Bets on AI, Customer Experience and Integrated Marketing to Drive Growth

Bharti Airtel is also increasingly viewing marketing as a strategic growth engine, not a support function. Its FY26 Annual Report talks about a stronger focus on customer experience, AI, omnichannel engagement and purpose-led brand building.

According to the report, Airtel’s marketing strategy is evolving with the transformation of its business, as the telecom operator looks to differentiate with digital ecosystems, integrated customer experience and innovation, rather than just network expansion.

Customer experience was a key pillar of the company’s strategy this year. Airtel said it remained focused on investments in digital platforms, network quality and go-to-market capabilities to deliver seamless experiences across its mobile, broadband and home services businesses.

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AI Expansion:

Its Homes business surpassed 14.2 million customers in FY26, up from 10 million in the previous year, while its fibre broadband network grew to 45 million home passes spanning 1,635 cities. Airtel also said its Fixed Wireless Access services are now available in over 3,300 cities, supporting its strategy of building deeper customer relationships across multiple services.

The report also pointed out the company’s One Airtel plans, which bundle mobile, broadband and other services together as a single product. Airtel said the convergence strategy is meant to provide enhanced convenience while driving engagement in high-value households.

Artificial intelligence is becoming another pillar of Airtel’s consumer strategy. The company accelerated digital transformation across customer-facing innovation, platform monetisation and business operations, with AI and digitisation being critical to staying relevant with customers in a fiercely competitive market, the report said.

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AI Partnerships:

Airtel has announced alliances with Google to establish India’s first Mega AI Hub and with IBM to grow Airtel Cloud as part of its plan to strengthen its AI capabilities. It also partnered with Perplexity and Adobe to deliver AI-powered search, knowledge discovery and content creation features to customers as part of its expanding digital ecosystem.

The annual report also outlines Airtel's growing consumer engagement framework. The company said it collects customer feedback through Airtel stores, contact centres, email, SMS, social media platforms and the Airtel Thanks App, using these interactions to improve service quality and resolve customer issues.

According to the report, Airtel received five advertising-related consumer complaints during FY26, all of which were resolved by the end of the financial year.