Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading telecom giants, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Perplexity, a renowned AI-powered search and answer platform. Through this collaboration, Airtel is offering a free 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro, typically priced at ₹17,000 per year, to its vast user base of 360 million mobile, broadband, and DTH customers.
What Is Perplexity Pro?
Perplexity is recognized for its AI-driven search engine that delivers fast, conversational, and deeply researched answers instead of just listing web pages. The Pro version takes this experience further with:
- 300 Pro searches per day
- Access to advanced AI models like GPT-4.1, Gemini, and Claude
- Image generation capabilities
- Deep research and file analysis tools
- Perplexity Labs for creative, productivity, and learning tasks
- Document uploads for expert-level insights
- Personalized information and travel planning
- Availability of more features for professional and heavy users
How Airtel Customers Can Claim Perplexity Pro
Claiming this valuable subscription is seamless for Airtel’s customers:
- Download or open the Airtel Thanks app.
- Tap on ‘Rewards and OTTs’.
- Select ‘Perplexity Pro’.
- Sign in using your Gmail or Apple ID.
- Enjoy 12 months of Perplexity Pro at no extra cost.
This offer is available to every Airtel customer, whether on prepaid or postpaid mobile, broadband, or DTH plans.
Why This Partnership Matters
For Airtel
- First Telecom-AI Utility Tie-Up: Airtel is the first Indian telecom provider to integrate a generative AI productivity tool at scale, moving beyond the usual entertainment-driven offers.
- Brand Positioning: Airtel positions itself as an “AI-first” telco, riding the surge of AI-driven consumer technology adoption.
- Network Intelligence: By giving millions access to GenAI, Airtel can study usage patterns, optimize data delivery, and personalize digital experiences.
For Perplexity
- Market Entry & Mass Adoption: This marks Perplexity’s entry into India’s telecom space, granting access to 360 million users, catapulting its reach over traditional competitors and leading to a spike in its downloads.
- Diverse Userbase: The partnership brings Perplexity into the hands of students, working professionals, and homemakers nationwide.
- Innovation Opportunity: Collaborating with Airtel provides a testing ground for large-scale AI-powered service delivery and learning from a vast, multilingual, digital-savvy audience.
Strategic Significance
This partnership redefines what telcos offer to customers. Instead of just streaming and OTT bundles, Airtel now empowers users with an advanced productivity tool, enabling:
- Real-time, trustworthy knowledge at fingertips
- Enhanced research, learning, and creativity
- Everyday assistance, from travel plans to document analysis
It also prepares Airtel’s network for the next wave of data usage, as AI drives new bandwidth and latency demands, similar to the earlier rise of video streaming.
Voices from the Leadership
“We’re thrilled to announce a game-changing partnership… bringing cutting-edge AI capabilities exclusively for Airtel customers, helping them navigate the emerging digital world with confidence and ease.”
— Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Bharti Airtel“This partnership is an exciting way to make accurate, trustworthy, and professional-grade AI accessible to more people in India—whether a student, working professional, or managing a household.”
— Aravind Srinivas, Cofounder & CEO, Perplexity
Airtel’s collaboration with Perplexity is a milestone for India’s digital landscape empowering millions to leverage AI in their daily lives, learning, and work. It’s an innovative step that’s redefining the value proposition for telecom consumers, making sophisticated AI tools accessible at no extra cost, and signaling the future of AI-powered services for all.