New Delhi, Aug. 3 -- Bharti Airtel Ltd signalled that elevated network spending is here to stay, with chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal saying the telecom operator expects to keep investing $3-4 billion (approximately Rs.28,500-38,000 crore) annually despite completing the bulk of its 5G rollout

The guidance signals that even as the peak 5G rollout phase winds down, technology upgrades and network expansion will continue to require multi-billion-dollar investments. It also comes as telecom operators grapple with a key challenge: turning heavy 5G investments into meaningful revenue growth.

"This is a highly capital-intensive industry. A large part of our cash flow that generates, gets into networks, whether it is cables, data centres, towers,...