Early Life and Education
Sunil Bharti Mittal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, on October 23, 1957. He came from a business-oriented family, with his father, Sat Paul Mittal, being a Member of Parliament. Mittal received his education at Wynberg Allen School in Mussoorie and Scindia School in Gwalior before graduating with a bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from Panjab University, Chandigarh, in 1976.
Rise to Success
Mittal's entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 18 when he started manufacturing bicycle parts. He then entered the telecom industry, initially manufacturing push-button phones. In 1995, he founded Bharti Airtel, which quickly became India's largest telecom company. Airtel was the first private operator to launch mobile services in India. Under his leadership, Bharti Airtel expanded its operations across Asia and Africa. Key acquisitions included Zain Africa in 2010.
Key Business Strategies
Airtel's success was driven by innovative strategies. One of the key strategies was the 'minute factory' model which outsourced network infrastructure to focus on sales and customer service, which significantly cut costs and allowed for rapid expansion. Airtel also introduced new services such as Hello Tunes, a caller ring back tone service, in 2004. Furthermore, the company invested heavily in technology infrastructure, including the rollout of 4G and 5G services.
Philanthropy
Sunil Mittal is committed to philanthropy through the Bharti Foundation, which focuses on education and rural development. The foundation has established numerous schools in villages across India, offering free quality education to underprivileged children. In 2017, the Bharti family pledged 10% of their wealth to support the Bharti Foundation, which also includes the establishment of Satya Bharti University.
