Reliance Jio, in partnership with Google, has launched a massive offer: 18 months of free access to the Gemini 2.5 AI Pro plan, valued at over Rs 35,100 (~$420 USD) per user. This plan includes 2TB of cloud storage, the Veo 3.1 video generation feature, and the smart note-taking tool NotebookLM.
Jio’s move heats up the AI race in the telecommunications sector, directly challenging Airtel, which is currently offering one year of Perplexity AI Pro for free, valued at approximately Rs 17,000 (~$203 USD), to its users. Perplexity is known for its multi-modal research engine, access to LLMs like GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini, and features like Deep Research and automatic source citation.
In parallel, OpenAI has announced the launch of a free ChatGPT Go plan in India starting November 4, 2025, valued at around Rs 5,000 (~$60 USD) per year. It offers the GPT-5 model, image generation, and a 10x increased message limit compared to the free version, though it does not include storage or ecosystem integration.
Detailed Comparison of the 3 Free AI Plans:
Gemini 2.5 Pro (Jio): 18 months free; includes video generation, AI integration with Gmail/Docs, real-time information retrieval via Google Search, 2TB storage, and unlimited chat and image uploads.
ChatGPT Go (OpenAI): 12 months free; includes GPT-5 and image generation but lacks integration and bundled storage.
Perplexity Pro (Airtel): 12 months free; supports Deep Research, analysis of PDF/Word documents, and is limited to 300 queries per day.
The common goal of all three is to “democratize generative AI (Gen AI)” for India’s over 900 million internet users (estimated by 2026), making AI a mass-market service like telecommunications.
Activation: Via a one-click process on the MyJio App (Jio), the Airtel Thanks App (Airtel) for all prepaid, postpaid, and DTH plans, and the ChatGPT Go plan via OpenAI’s online platform.
📌 With a converted value of approximately $420 USD, Indian telecom operator Jio’s Gemini 2.5 Pro plan is currently the largest AI offer in India, superior in duration, features, and Google ecosystem integration. The competition between Jio, Airtel, and OpenAI is expected to shape the new consumer AI market, positioning India as the largest center for AI adoption in Asia.
