Bharti Airtel has tied up with Google to launch of Free Zone powered by Google that would let Airtel mobile customers access to Google Search, Gmail and Google+ in India. These don’t work with the Google apps, and you need to use mobile web search and feature-phone-friendly versions of Gmail and Google+ . The first page of a website linked from search results is provided at no data cost. It is also optimized for non-smartphones or feature phones with data access.
Airtel mobile customers can access the service by heading to airtel.in/freezone and simply start using the Internet without having to sign in to the service. It also offers Attachment Download or browse through to web sites in the Free Zone through the subscription to a standard data package. 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.
Airtel Free Zone powered by Google lets you access:
- Gmail: Users have unlimited access to Gmail from their mobile browser. If users click on a link or attachment within the email they are directed to a
- Google+: Users can share online photos and messages with circles of family, selected friends or the public; follow updates on the things they are passionate about – from cricket to photography, music to news; and follow people they’re interested in.
- Google Search: Users can search the entire 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.
The free data usage on Free Zone is available up to a limit of 1GB per month. Airtel has not announced till when the Free Zone offer would be available. Customers would be notified about any changes to Free Zone’s pricing structure.