Google partners with Ambani’s Reliance to offer free AI Pro access to millions of Jio users in India

In a push to expand its AI footprint in emerging markets, Google has partnered with billionaire Mukesh Ambani–led Reliance Industries to bundle its AI Pro subscription with Jio 5G plans at no extra cost.

On Thursday, Google announced a partnership with Reliance, India’s largest company by market capitalization, to offer its AI Pro subscription free for 18 months to eligible Jio users. The alliance comes just three months after Perplexity teamed up with Reliance’s arch-rival Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, to provide free access to Perplexity Pro for Airtel’s 360 million subscribers.

India, the world’s most populous nation and the second-largest internet market with over a billion users, has long been an irresistible target for global tech firms. While the country has not yet seen a major homegrown AI breakthrough, U.S. tech giants increasingly view it as the next big frontier — a place to gather diverse data, refine models, and test AI use cases that could later scale across other emerging markets. The latest partnership between Google and Reliance is a clear reflection of that strategy.

The Jio offer will initially reach users aged 18 to 25 before expanding to all Jio subscribers nationwide, the companies said. It includes access to Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro model via the Gemini app, higher limits for generating AI images and videos with Nano Banana and Veo 3.1, expanded use of Notebook LM for study and research, and 2 TB of cloud storage across Google Photos, Gmail, Drive, and WhatsApp backups.

“This partnership will also explore bringing more delightful local experiences powered by AI to Jio users,” the Indian telecom giant said.

The 18-month offer is valued at ₹35,100 (about $396), the companies said. Google’s AI Pro plan normally costs ₹1,950 (around $22) per month in India and includes a free one-month trial.

Beyond the consumer offer, Reliance also partnered with Google Cloud to broaden access to its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) in India. Reliance’s AI subsidiary, Reliance Intelligence, will become a strategic go-to-market partner for Google Cloud to expand Gemini Enterprise across Indian organizations, and will develop its own pre-built AI agents for the platform.

“Today’s announcement will put Google’s cutting-edge AI tools in the hands of consumers, businesses, and India’s vibrant developer community,” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said in a prepared statement.

At its 48th annual general meeting in late August, Reliance announced partnerships with its investors Google and Meta to strengthen its AI infrastructure in India through a newly created subsidiary, Reliance Intelligence. Reliance and Meta also committed to setting up a joint venture with a combined investment of ₹8.55 billion (approximately $100 million), with a 70/30 ownership split.

Earlier this week, Google rival OpenAI announced plans to offer free access to its sub-$5 ChatGPT Go plan to all users in India starting November 4. The entry-level tier, launched locally in August, has since expanded to 17 countries across Asia.

AI heavyweights like OpenAI and Anthropic are also setting up shop in India, hoping to learn more about local users and grow their reach in the world’s biggest emerging market.

Earlier this year, Google offered Indian students a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan. That promotion ran until September 15.

India has already helped drive adoption of U.S.-led AI platforms and ranks among the top consumer markets for tools such as Google’s Nano Banana, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s Claude. Extending free access to paid AI versions could further accelerate adoption and cement India’s position as a key growth consumer market for generative AI offerings. However, it remains to be seen how India will translate into meaningful revenue for these AI companies once the current wave of free bundling offers runs its course.

“Through our collaboration with strategic and long-term partners like Google, we aim to make India not just AI-enabled but AI-empowered – where every citizen and enterprise can harness intelligent tools to create, innovate and grow,” Ambani said.