The AI-powered search engine Perplexity and Bharti Airtel launched a collaboration on 17 July. As a result, all Airtel customers will receive a complimentary 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro, which would normally cost INR 17,000 annually worldwide.
Customers of Airtel’s DTH, broadband, and mobile services can access the offer via the Airtel Thanks app. This is the first time Perplexity has worked with an Indian telecom provider.
Airtel presently has over 390 million users in India, second only to Reliance Jio, which has 475 million, according to the most recent figures from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
What is Perplexity?
Perplexity is a conversational, AI-powered search and answer engine that goes beyond conventional search results to provide immediately digestible, thoroughly researched solutions.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, commented on the collaboration, saying the business is excited to announce a revolutionary relationship with Perplexity that will deliver their state-of-the-art AI capabilities exclusively to Airtel customers.
“Through this partnership, millions of users will have free access to a robust and up-to-date knowledge tool. The goal of this first-of-its-kind Gen-AI collaboration in India is to empower our clients to confidently and easily traverse the new trends in the digital world,” he added further.
More individuals in India, including students, working professionals, and home managers, will have access to accurate, trustworthy, and professional-grade AI thanks to this collaboration, according to Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity.
Users may learn more, access information more quickly, and accomplish more with Perplexity Pro.
How this Collaboration can Benefit the Users?
Advanced AI models like GPT-4.1 and Claude, deeper research tools, image generation, file uploads and analysis, and Perplexity Labs—which helps with idea and project development—are all available to subscribers of Perplexity’s Pro version.
The agreement with Airtel comes after Perplexity and Motorola launched a global alliance in April 2025, whereby Perplexity is pre-installed on millions of Motorola smartphones, including the most recent Razr and Edge 60 series.
Perplexity Pro, which gives customers access to sophisticated capabilities including deep research, several AI model choices (such as GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Sonar), unlimited file uploads, and AI-enhanced purchasing tools, is provided to Motorola users for free for three months as part of that collaboration.
Perplexity Gaining Popularity
According to a media report last month, the startup is also getting close to a comprehensive agreement with Samsung.
As per reports, Samsung is in advanced talks to include Perplexity’s search capabilities in the Samsung web browser, preload the app and assistant on future devices, and maybe incorporate Perplexity technology into Samsung’s Bixby virtual assistant.
A media source claims that the business is assessing Perplexity and other industry participants for such a deal. Although specifics are still being finalised, the integration is anticipated to debut as early as the Galaxy S26 lineup in 2026.
Samsung intends to be a significant investor in Perplexity’s upcoming investment round, according to a media outlet. The business is seeking to earn $500 million at a $14 billion valuation.
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