Airtel Partners with Perplexity to Offer Free Rs 17,000 AI Pro Subscription to 360 Million Users; How To Buy?

Telecom major Bharti Airtel has entered into a landmark partnership with Perplexity, a global leader in generative AI, to offer its over 360 million customers a free one-year subscription to Perplexity Pro, a premium AI tool valued at Rs 17,000 annually.

Airtel Partners with Perplexity to Offer Free AI Subscription

Now, for the first time in India, this Rs 17,000 subscription will be offered free for a full year to all Airtel mobile, Wi-Fi, and DTH customers. The benefit can be activated easily through the Airtel Thanks app, and marks the country's first-ever telco partnership with a generative AI platform, aiming to put cutting-edge AI tools directly in the hands of millions.

Commenting on the partnership, Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel announced, "We are thrilled to announce this game-changing partnership with Perplexity. This collaboration puts a real-time, intelligent knowledge tool in the hands of millions of Airtel customers at no extra cost. As India's first generative AI partnership of its kind, it enables people to stay ahead in the digital era with confidence and simplicity."

Aravind Srinivas, Co-Founder and CEO of Perplexity shared, "This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to make professional-grade, trusted AI more accessible to every part of India from students and professionals to homemakers. Perplexity Pro offers a smarter, faster way to search, learn, and get things done."

The partnership aims to have a meaningful impact across demographics. For instance, a student in Rajkot can now conduct reliable research and prepare well-structured academic projects using Perplexity Pro. A homemaker in Kanyakumari can find clear, actionable answers to daily questions, improving efficiency and creativity. A busy professional planning a family trip can get a complete travel itinerary in seconds, based on their budget, timeline, and preferences saving time and reducing stress.

What is Perplexity?

Perplexity is a smart AI tool that gives accurate and detailed answers. It works better than regular search engines. Instead of just showing website links, it gives direct answers. Users can also talk to the AI to improve or expand the answers. This makes it helpful for learning, planning, research, and making decisions.

Does Perplexity Charge Fee?

The basic version of Perplexity is already free and widely used, but the Pro version is designed for professionals, students and high-frequency users. It includes daily access to more Pro searches, premium AI models like GPT-4.1 and Claude, the ability to switch models, deep research capabilities, image generation, file uploads with analysis, and access to innovative tools from Perplexity Labs that help turn complex ideas into actionable outcomes.