Google has taken a major step to expand its presence in India’s fast-growing AI market through a landmark deal with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. The partnership will give millions of Jio 5G users free access to Google’s AI Pro subscription for 18 months, making advanced AI tools easily available across the country.
Announced on Thursday, the collaboration marks one of Google’s strongest moves yet to reach the world’s second-largest internet market. It follows a similar deal between Perplexity and Bharti Airtel, Reliance’s biggest rival, which gave over 360 million Airtel users free access to Perplexity Pro.
India, home to more than a billion internet users, has become a testing ground for global AI companies. While the country has yet to produce a major homegrown breakthrough, its scale and diversity make it ideal for training and refining large models. Google’s partnership with Reliance shows how global tech firms view India not just as a market but as a key part of their global AI strategy.
The offer will first reach Jio users aged 18 to 25 before expanding nationwide. Eligible users will get access to Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro model via the Gemini app. They’ll also enjoy higher limits for generating AI images and videos through Nano Banana and Veo 3.1, plus extended use of Notebook LM for study and research. The bundle includes 2 TB of cloud storage for Google Photos, Gmail, Drive, and WhatsApp backups.
Reliance said the deal will also bring more localized AI experiences designed for Indian users. The free access is worth about ₹35,100 ($396), with Google’s AI Pro plan usually priced at ₹1,950 ($22) per month.
Beyond consumer perks, Google Cloud and Reliance are deepening their enterprise partnership. Reliance’s new AI subsidiary, Reliance Intelligence, will act as a go-to-market partner for Google Cloud in India. The unit will help businesses adopt Gemini Enterprise and develop custom AI agents built for specific sectors. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said the partnership will put powerful AI tools in the hands of India’s consumers, developers, and organizations.
At Reliance’s 48th annual meeting in August, Ambani confirmed joint efforts with investors Google and Meta to build new AI infrastructure through Reliance Intelligence. Both companies plan to invest ₹8.55 billion (about $100 million) in a new venture with a 70/30 ownership split.
The timing of the Google-Reliance deal comes just days after OpenAI said it will make its ChatGPT Go tier free for all Indian users starting November 4. The sub-$5 plan, first launched in India in August, has already spread across 17 countries in Asia. Anthropic and other AI heavyweights are also setting up in India to understand local users and grow their reach.
Earlier this year, Google tested free access by offering Indian students a one-year AI Pro subscription, which ended in September. That trial likely paved the way for the Jio partnership.
India has quickly become one of the top markets for AI tools like Google’s Nano Banana, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s Claude. Free bundles through telecom partners could push adoption even higher, though the key challenge will be turning free users into paying customers once promotions expire.
Ambani said the goal goes beyond access, aiming to make India “AI-empowered, where every citizen and enterprise can harness intelligent tools to create, innovate, and grow.”
