Google will grant 18 months of complimentary access to its Gemini AI platform for all 505 million customers of Reliance Jio, marking one of the tech giant’s most significant pushes yet to scale artificial intelligence adoption in India. The partnership follows similar free-access initiatives by competitors including OpenAI, as major players race to secure user growth in the world’s largest population market.
The move comes shortly after Google pledged to invest $15 billion in AI infrastructure capacity in India, its largest commitment to the South Asian region to date. India has seen a rapid surge in AI applications in recent months, prompting authorities to draft new rules requiring tech firms to clearly identify AI-generated material to address deepfake and misinformation concerns.
The offer will provide Jio customers with access to Gemini’s advanced AI model, two terabytes of cloud storage, and its image and video creation tools. The package, valid for 18 months, is otherwise priced at 35,100 rupees ($399). The companies also confirmed new AI collaborations aimed at supporting Indian enterprises.
According to Reliance, the rollout will begin with early access for users aged 18 to 25 on selected data plans, before being extended to “every Jio customer nationwide in the shortest time possible.”
Google already makes Gemini AI Pro available free for one year to students in India, while Perplexity has partnered with Bharti Airtel to provide free access to its premium plan. On Tuesday, OpenAI began offering a complimentary year-long subscription to its ChatGPT Go plan for users in India starting November.
The strategies echo earlier tactics used by global streaming platforms, where services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime were bundled with telecom plans to accelerate growth in the Indian market.
