Google Partners with Reliance Jio to Offer Free Gemini AI Access to 500 Million Users in India

Google has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Reliance Jio to provide free access to its Gemini AI service for 500 million users in India over the next 18 months. The initiative, part of Google's $15 billion AI investment in the country, includes Gemini 2.5 Pro, NotebookLM, and 2TB of cloud storage—a package typically valued at 35,100 rupees ($396) per user.

The rollout will initially target Jio's youth demographic (ages 18-25) before expanding to all users. Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries chairman, positioned the collaboration as a transformative MOVE to establish India as a global AI leader. 'We're empowering every Indian, especially our youth, to become instant AI leaders,' the company stated in its announcement.

This strategic move comes as competitors like Perplexity AI and OpenAI also deploy free offerings through Indian telecom partnerships. The deal underscores India's emergence as the world's most aggressive AI adoption market, with digital infrastructure investments creating fertile ground for cryptocurrency and blockchain innovations.