BENGALURU, May 16 Reuters Bharti Airtel Ltd, India39;s No. 2 telecom carrier by subscribers, on Tuesday reported fourthquarter revenue that fell short of analysts39; expectations, as 4G user growth and peruser revenue stagnated.

The company39;s consolidated revenue from operations rose to 360.09 billion rupees 4.40 billion for the quarter ended March 31, from 315 billion rupees a year ago, it said in an exchange filing.

Analysts, on an average, had expected a revenue of 365.52 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Analysts have flagged concerns of slowing revenue growth due to the absence of tariff hikes in recent years to cushion the load of telecom firms spending billions of dollars on buying 5G spectrum at an auction last August.

Airtel39;s net profit rose nearly 50 to 30.06 billion rupees, beating analysts39; estimate of 25.24 billion rupees despite a rise in costs. Its total expenses rose nearly 12, led by higher marketing and network operating expenses.

The company39;s average revenue per user ARPU, a key performance indicator for telecom firms, was at 193 rupees, flat from the previous quarter, but up 8.4 yearonyear.

Last month, market leader Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd, said its fourthquarter ARPU stood at 178.8 rupees, an increase of only 0.3 from a quarter ago and a 6.7 climb from a year ago.

Airtel said it added 7.4 million 4G data customers in the March quarter, with total 4G subscribers now at…