Reliance Jio has started the official rollout of its free 18-month Google AI Pro subscription for all users. Last week, Jio had announced its partnership with Google for free access to Gemini’s premium AI tier which normally costs Rs 1,950 per month, to eligible subscribers. The company had earlier said it would only be available to those between 18 and 25 years of age, but it has now expanded it to users even above 25.
To activate the subscription, users with an active Jio SIM and an unlimited 5G plan priced above Rs 349 need to head to the MyJio app. There, you will see the ‘Early access’ banner. Tap on ‘Claim now’ and follow the prompts to confirm your free Google AI Pro status via the Gemini app.
Google AI Pro features access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, a more advanced version of Google’s large language model. It adds deeper research capabilities, additional creative tools, and better integration across Google’s ecosystem, compared to the free tier. Users can create AI-generated images with Nano Banana, videos with Veo 3.1 Fast, and use expanded tools for coding through Gemini CLI and Code Assist IDE extensions. Productivity integrations are available across Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and more, and storage across Google services increases to 2TB. The plan also unlocks higher usage limits on Google’s Flow and NotebookLM platforms, plus access to the Whisk app for organisation.
Jio’s launch comes at a time when AI access is being democratised across India. OpenAI recently announced that its ChatGPT Go tier, which offers access with increased user limits on the GPT-5 model, is free for 12 months for Indian users. Meanwhile, Perplexity AI, also has a partnership with Airtel with the telco’s users getting a free one-year Perplexity Pro subscription. These moves signal a shift in the AI consumer base in India, which is gradually moving towards mass adoption. India seems to be becoming a testing ground for AI companies offering a blend of features for free.
From a brand strategy point of view, Jio’s partnership with Google is important. With the bundling of a premium AI subscription into its already popular 5G plans, Jio strengthens its position as a customer-centric telecom player. This would not only attract younger, tech-savvy users who want to try out generative AI to the company, but will also be well-received by professionals and creators who can utilise such advanced tools. ChatGPT, Perplexity and now Google’s free-tier strategies reflect a growing race in the Indian market aimed at building user bases across the board.
For consumers, it is the best time to try out such AI platforms since there are no pricing obstacles. Each of the services mentioned – Jio’s Google AI Pro, ChatGPT Go, and Perplexity Pro – meet different needs. Gemini excels in Google integrations and creative generation features, while ChatGPT is strong in conversational AI and productivity. Perplexity works well for research-driven summaries. One can try all three to see what works best for each user.
