Sunil Bharti Mittal laid the foundations of Bharti Telecom (Bharti) in 1985 that was to emerge as India's `telecom conglomerate giant'. The company made a humble beginning with the manufacture of push button handsets. Notwithstanding its small size, Bharti plunged into the bidding war for cellular licenses, successfully capturing the license for providing cellular network service in New Delhi. This early victory was followed by a string of downturns. The company lost most of the subsequent cellular bids and found itself in troubled waters. Nevertheless, competitors' inability to exploit their winning cellular bids proved to be a boon for Bharti. The eagerness of these companies to sell their cellular licenses to Bharti brought the company back into the limelight. However, the company was not content with being only a `telecom conglomerate'. In 2008, to gratify its growing aspirations, Bharti declared its intentions of becoming India's `finest conglomerate by 2020'.

In 1985, with the inception of Bharti, Sunil Bharti Mittal (Mittal) laid the foundations of an organization that would transform itself into India's `telecom conglomerate giant' in just over a decade. Started as a company manufacturing push button handsets, Bharti's aspirations seemed achievable when the government announced the liberalization of the Indian telecom sector in 1992. Determined to make a mark in the Indian telecom scenario, Bharti entered the cellular bidding war. Undeterred by the large competitors, Mittal stayed focused on exploiting the opportunity. His efforts reaped results and in 1994, Bharti captured the license for providing cellular network service in New Delhi (Delhi). The company made its mark in the Delhi market with its Airtel brand. Despite this early success, the ensuing journey for Bharti was not devoid of hurdles. Losing out on most of the subsequent cellular bids came as a setback for the company. This initial failure proved to be a blessing in disguise for Bharti when its competitors were unable to translate their winning bids into practical success stories. The company bounced back when its competitors offered to sell their cellular licenses to Bharti. With an expanding cellular service and a popular brand Airtel, Bharti was fast climbing the ladder of success. However, the company's quest for success was not limited to restricting itself to the `telecom conglomerate' image. To fulfill its aspirations, Bharti announced its intentions to emerge as India's `finest conglomerate by 2020'. Powered by a youthful logo and new brand identity, is Bharti determined to achieve yet another feat?

In 1985, with the incorporation of Bharti Telecom Ltd. (BTL), the holding company for various telecom and telephone manufacturing businesses, Mittal laid the foundations of the modern day Bharti Group. Despite being the son of a Parliamentarian, Mittal was keen to plunge into the business arena instead of pursuing a career in politics. Guided by this interest, Mittal began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 18, with a borrowed capital of Rs. 20,000, which he used to make cycle parts in Ludhiana, in 1976. In a couple of years, Mittal realized the limited growth potential of this business and began rethinking of new profitable ventures.

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