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AIRTEL-GOOGLE TEAM UP TO PROVIDE FREE MOBILE INTERNET TO
SUBSCRIBERS

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel said it has partnered with Google to launch a service 'Free Zone',
wherein subscribers will be able to access Google services such
as Gmail, Google+ and Google search on their mobile phones without any data cost.
The users, however, have to pay for advanced services such as attachment downloads, the
company said in a statement.
"...Free Zone powered by Google, will give Airtel mobile customers access to mobile web search and feature phone
friendly versions of Gmail and Google+ in India. The first page
of a website linked from search results is provided at no data
cost," Airtel said.
The company added when users leave the Free Zone to navigate deeper into a website
or download an attachment they are informed about the
data charges and given the option to purchase an appropriate data package.
"In this market, where feature phones predominate, our
association with Google to bring Free Zone to India will
encourage millions of users to discover the power of mobile
Internet for the very first time and leverage the amazing world of information search, email and social collaboration - at no incremental cost," Bharti Airtel
Chief Marketing Officer (Consumer Business) N Rajaram
said.
Users can have unlimited access to Gmail from their mobile browser but if they click on a link or attachment within the
email they are irected to a page where they can purchase a data package.
In the same way, subscribers can search Internet and access
the first page of websites from the results for free. If they click further into a website after that,
they are directed to a page where they can purchase a data
package, it added.
"The mobile Internet user base is growing really fast in India...
We hope this initiative will encourage more Indians to experience the value of the
Internet and gain from it,"
Google India VP and Managing Director Rajan Anandan said.