NEW DELHI: India’s Bharti Airtel has partnered with US-based Perplexity AI to offer the latter’s Perplexity Pro subscription, worth ₹17,000, for free to Airtel’s 360 million customers, as telecom carriers partner with artificial intelligence (AI) firms to gain an edge over competitors and arrest subscriber churn.

‘This Pro subscription, worth ₹17,000, is now available for free, for all Airtel customers (Mobile, Wi- Fi and DTH) for one year,’ Airtel said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

This marks the Nvidia-backed startup’s first partnership with an Indian telecom company.

Perplexity is an AI-powered search and answer engine that offers real-time, accurate and deeply researched responses to users in a conversational language, presented in easy to read answers which can be iterated with the self-learning AI-tool for the precise outcome the user needs.

Perplexity has a free offering, which offers powerful search functions, while the Pro version provides enhanced capabilities for professionals users. Perplexity Pro includes more daily Pro searches per user, access to advanced AI models, such as GPT 4.1 and Claude, and the ability to select specific models, deep research, image generation, file uploads and analysis, as well as Perplexity Labs, a tool that brings ideas to life.

‘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,’ said Gopal Vittal, vice chairman & managing director, Bharti Airtel.

‘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,’ said Aravind Srinivas, cofounder & CEO, Perplexity.

As per media reports in May, Perplexity was seeking to raise $500 million in a funding round that would give the San Francisco-headquartered startup a valuation of $14 billion.

Perplexity counts Databricks, HP, Amplitude, Zoom, and Snowflake, among others, as customers, as per its website. Last year, it had also partnered with SK Telecom in South Korea, as well as with SoftBank and T-Mobile.