Airtel and Google Collaborate to Counter Jio’s Cloud Storage Push

An exciting news for Bharti Airtel subscribers!! Bharti Airtel is planning to offer 100 GB of Google One cloud storage free for six months to its postpaid and Airtel Wi-Fi subscribers after its collaboration with Google. This move follows Reliance Jio’s earlier offer of free cloud storage for both prepaid and postpaid users. However, Jio recently reduced its free storage benefit from 100 GB to 50 GB, with no specified validity period. In contrast, Airtel is providing 100 GB of Google One cloud storage free for a duration of six months.

Airtel's postpaid and Wi-Fi users can now avail Google One Subscription for just ₹125 per month to store their photos, Gmail data, WhatsApp data, etc. The fee is slightly lower than the Google standard charge of ₹130 per month, after their free storage of 15 GB ends.

At present, Google is offering a promotional rate of ₹35 per month for a 100 GB plan during the first three months once users exceed their default 15 GB of free storage. This comes as telecom operators begin providing free cloud storage to subscribers, addressing growing storage challenges especially since WhatsApp backups now count toward Google cloud limits. Without adequate storage, many users are forced to frequently delete files or invest in expensive physical storage expansions.

Siddharth Sharma, Director of Marketing and CEO of Connected Homes at Bharti Airtel stated “With smartphones becoming the main device for managing both personal and professional information, storage has become a significant concern for users”. “This partnership (with Google) will present an opportunity for millions of our postpaid, Wi-Fi customers, allowing them access to a further 100 GB of storage”.

As of March 2025, Bharti Airtel reported having 25.8 million postpaid users out of its total mobile subscriber base of 361.6 million in India.

According to the new offer, Airtel users can share their storage with up to five additional individuals. The company also highlighted that, with WhatsApp chats on Android now backed up to Google Account storage, switching devices will be more seamless for users.

"Together, we will make it easier for our users to safely back up photos, videos and important files on their phones with more storage across Google Photos, Drive, Gmail and more,” said Karen Teo, vice president, platforms & devices Partnerships, APAC, Google.