Airtel Partners with Perplexity: Free AI-Powered Search for 360 Million Users
Bharti Airtel has announced a groundbreaking collaboration with Perplexity, making it the first Indian telecom operator to offer a premium generative AI service to its customers. The partnership provides all Airtel subscribers with a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription worth ₹17,000, marking a significant shift from traditional entertainment bundles to AI-powered productivity tools.
The Partnership Details
This strategic alliance offers Perplexity Pro subscriptions to Airtel's entire customer base of 360 million users, including mobile, broadband, and DTH subscribers. The offer is available to both prepaid and postpaid customers across all Airtel services.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, emphasized the partnership's significance: "This collaboration will bring the powerful and real-time knowledge tool for millions of users at their fingertips, at no extra cost. This first of its kind Gen-AI partnership in India is focused on helping our customers navigate the emerging trends in the digital world with confidence and ease".
Aravind Srinivas, Co-founder and CEO of Perplexity, added: "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".
What is Perplexity Pro?
Perplexity Pro is an AI-powered search and answer engine that goes beyond traditional search results by providing real-time, conversational responses with verified citations. Unlike conventional search engines that return lists of links, Perplexity delivers clear, concise answers directly to users.
Key Features of Perplexity Pro:
- 300 AI-powered searches daily (compared to just 3 in the free version)
- Access to advanced AI models including GPT-4.1, Claude 4.0 Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Grok.
- Unlimited file uploads and analysis for document summarization
- Image generation capabilities powered by DALL-E
- Perplexity Labs access for creating spreadsheets, web apps, and dashboards
- Deep research and analysis tools
- Voice input and multi-language support11
How to Claim Your Free Perplexity Pro Subscription
The claiming process is straightforward and available through the Airtel Thanks app. Here's the complete step-by-step guide:
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Download the Airtel Thanks App from Play Store or App Store if you haven't already.
- Login with your Airtel number and verify with OTP
- Navigate to the Rewards section:
- Tap the hamburger menu (three lines) in the top-right corner
- Select "Rewards and OTTs"
- Click on "Rewards"
- Find the Perplexity Pro offer:
- Look for "Get 12 months of Perplexity Pro worth ₹17,000 FREE" banner
- You'll see it under "Collect Rewards" section
- Claim the subscription:
- Tap "Claim Now"
- Click "Proceed" when prompted
- Sign in with your Google ID or Apple ID when redirected to Perplexity
- Your 12-month Pro subscription will activate instantly
Important Requirements:
- Active Airtel connection with valid recharge is mandatory
- No credit card details required - the subscription is completely free
- One redemption per user allowed
- Offer validity: Available until January 17, 2026
After 12 Months
Users don't need to worry about automatic charges. The subscription will not auto-renew. After the free period ends, accounts will automatically revert to Perplexity's free tier unless users manually choose to purchase a subscription.
