Telecom giant Bharti Airtel has announced a new partnership with AI-powered search platform Perplexity. As part of this deal, Airtel is offering a free one-year subscription to Perplexity Pro, a service that normally costs ₹17,000 per year.
The offer is available to all Airtel customers—across mobile, broadband (Wi-Fi), and DTH—covering over 360 million users.
Perplexity Pro is designed for people who want more than just basic search results. Unlike traditional search engines that show a list of web links, Perplexity gives direct, reliable answers in easy-to-understand language. It can be used for deep research, creative tasks, productivity, and learning. The service also includes features like real-time information, no ads, and access to AI models for smarter, more efficient searches.
Announcing the partnership, Airtel’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Gopal Vittal, said this collaboration brings powerful AI tools to the fingertips of millions of users, helping them keep up with the fast-changing digital world. He called it India’s first large-scale partnership focused on generative AI for everyday users.
This move is seen as a strategic step by Airtel to attract new users and reduce customer churn as competition heats up with Reliance Jio. As of May 31, Airtel had about 390 million wireless users, while Jio led the market with 472 million. In May alone, Airtel added just 275,000 new users, reflecting slower growth.
On the stock market, Bharti Airtel’s shares were trading slightly lower at ₹1,935.70 on the BSE as of 10:05 AM on July 17.
