Airtel partners with Perplexity to offer Pro access to 360 million users

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel has partnered with AI-powered search engine Perplexity to provide its 360 million customers with a complimentary one-year subscription to Perplexity Pro, a paid version of the platform priced at Rs 17,000 annually.

Perplexity is a conversational search and answer tool that uses artificial intelligence to deliver real-time, summarised, and sourced responses. Unlike conventional search engines that list web links, the tool is designed to offer direct, readable answers and allows users to refine their queries for greater specificity.

The Pro version of the platform includes features such as more daily Pro searches, access to advanced AI models (including GPT-4.1 and Claude), deep research capabilities, image generation, file uploads, and a sandbox feature called Perplexity Labs. These additions are targeted at users with higher information or productivity needs, including students, professionals, and researchers.

The subscription will be available at no cost to all Airtel mobile, broadband, and DTH users for 12 months. This is Perplexity’s first formal partnership with an Indian telecom operator. Users can access the offer through the Airtel Thanks app.

Commenting on the collaboration, Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Airtel said, “We’re thrilled to announce a game-changing partnership with Perplexity, bringing their cutting-edge AI capabilities exclusively for Airtel customers. 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. With Perplexity Pro, users get a smarter, easier way to find information, learn, and get more done.”

The announcement also highlights potential everyday use cases for Perplexity Pro, such as academic research support for students, task management for homemakers, and personalised itinerary planning for professionals. These examples are used to illustrate how the AI tool could fit into a range of user scenarios, depending on individual needs.