Airtel Partnership with Perplexity AI

In a significant step toward making AI mainstream in India, Bharti Airtel, one of the nation’s largest telecom service providers, has partnered with the rising AI search engine Perplexity AI. This collaboration enables all Airtel customers—across mobile, broadband, and DTH segments—to enjoy a complimentary 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro, a premium AI-powered search engine service priced at ₹17,000 per year.

This partnership is more than just a freebie—it signals the start of a new era where advanced generative AI tools are no longer exclusive to tech elites, but accessible to everyday users.

🚀 What Makes Perplexity AI Different?

Unlike traditional search engines like Google, which display a list of links, Perplexity AI delivers direct, conversational answers, backed by real-time data and reliable sources. Think of it as a fusion between a search engine and a research assistant—only faster, smarter, and more intuitive.

With Perplexity Pro, users unlock advanced capabilities such as:

• Access to premium AI models like GPT-4.1, Claude, and Sonar
• Deep research mode for long-form answers and citations
• Unlimited file uploads for summarization, Q\&A, and data analysis
• AI image generation
• Multimodal support (text, image, documents, code)
• Tools to assist with coding, document writing, market analysis, and more
• Access to Perplexity Labs — where users can prototype ideas and AI workflows

This AI tool is already being recognized globally as a next-gen alternative to Google, especially for professionals, students, content creators, and entrepreneurs.

👉 You can explore more advanced AI tools for daily use here.

📱 Where to Get It?

If you’re an Airtel customer, simply download or open the Airtel Thanks app, and you’ll find access to the free Perplexity Pro subscription from the dashboard or services section.

This offer is available to:

• Prepaid & Postpaid users
• Airtel Xstream Fiber (broadband) users
• DTH users via Airtel Digital TV

This move makes Airtel the first Indian telecom provider to form a strategic AI partnership of this kind.

🌍 Perplexity’s Global Expansion & India’s Role

This partnership comes shortly after Perplexity AI announced a global tie-up with Motorola in April 2025. Through that deal:

• Perplexity Pro comes pre-installed on Motorola smartphones, including Razr and Edge 60 series
• Motorola users get 3 months free Pro access globally

Perplexity is also reportedly in advanced negotiations with Samsung to integrate its AI features into:

• The Samsung Internet browser
• Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant
• Preloading the app on future Galaxy phones, starting potentially with the S26 series in 2026

Samsung is also eyeing a \$500 million investment in Perplexity, which is projected to hit a valuation of \$14 billion.

These developments clearly show that Perplexity is becoming a serious contender in the global AI race, competing with the likes of Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Anthropic’s Claude.

📊 India: A Strategic AI Battleground

With over 880 million internet users, India is one of the world’s largest digital markets. Companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta are eyeing the Indian audience as crucial to their AI growth strategies.

By offering Perplexity Pro free to over 390 million Airtel customers, this partnership gives the AI startup massive exposure and adoption potential—a smart move in a country where digital learning, remote work, and content creation are booming.

In fact, according to a recent KPMG report, over 70% of Indian professionals are expected to use AI tools daily by 2027, especially in fields like:

• Education
• Finance
• Marketing
• Software development
• E-commerce
• Legal & consulting services

Airtel and Perplexity’s partnership fits right into this trajectory.

🎤 Voices from the Top

Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and MD of Bharti Airtel, emphasized:

“This collaboration brings world-class AI to the fingertips of every Airtel customer—empowering millions with real-time knowledge and decision-making capabilities.”

Aravind Srinivas, Co-founder and CEO of Perplexity, added:

“We’re excited to bring trustworthy, professional-grade AI access to every household, student, and business in India. With Perplexity Pro, you don’t just search—you learn, create, and grow smarter.”

🧠 What This Means for Users

Here’s what users can now do effortlessly using Perplexity Pro:
✅ Ask complex questions and get verified, digestible answers
✅ Summarize large documents (PDFs, articles, contracts)
✅ Generate visuals for presentations, blogs, or social media
✅ Research new markets or topics in seconds
✅ Automate writing tasks like emails, scripts, proposals, and resumes
✅ Study smarter with AI-curated summaries and references
✅ Boost productivity with time-saving automation features

🔗 Final Take: A Win for AI Accessibility

At ProAITools.tech, we believe this partnership represents a paradigm shift. AI is no longer a luxury—it’s becoming a utility, much like electricity or the internet once was. Airtel is taking the lead in ensuring AI isn’t just for Silicon Valley—but for every Indian household, student, and small business.

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