Mumbai, March 3 -- Bharti Airtel, India's second-largest telecom operator, has cemented its position as the industry's most resilient player, outpacing rivals in subscriber additions, revenue growth, and profitability. But with its core wireless business maturing, the company is now eyeing a new growth frontier: home services.

Airtel's ongoing discussions to merge its DTH business with Tata Sons' Tata Play signal a deeper push into broadband, pay-TV, and enterprise connectivity.

Analysts see the move as a strategic pivot to monetize its 5G investments beyond mobile tariff hikes. However, with the pay-TV business in structural decline and execution risks looming, the success of this expansion remains a key question.

Airtel's December qu...