Optus Partners with Perplexity’s AI-Powered Search Engine to Provide Mobile Customers with 12 Months Free Access

Optus has teamed up with Perplexity, the leading AI-powered answer engine, to offer eligible new and existing mobile customers a 12-month complimentary subscription to Perplexity Pro – valued at $300. This partnership highlights Optus’ ongoing commitment to making artificial intelligence more accessible and delivering greater value to its customers.

With a free Perplexity Pro subscription, Optus consumer and small business mobile customers can follow their curiosity and ask anything on their mind, such as “Plan a 10 day travel itinerary for Bali”, “What is the best restaurant in Melbourne?” or “Write a social post for my business”.

Relative to some Asia-Pacific peers, Australia still lags behind in AI with 54% of Australians having used GenAI vs an Asia-Pacific average of 67%, and much higher uptake in countries like China and India. This gap is attributed partly to demographics with many Asia-Pacific adopters being young employees and student ‘digital natives’ who found that gen AI has led to saved workhours, opportunities for new skill development, and more sustainable workloads¹.

Optus is committed to making AI more accessible for Australians, while also promoting its role as a positive force in strengthening digital connections. Just as human relationships are vital for personal growth, technological connections should be inclusive and empowering.

The partnership with Perplexity marks a key milestone in this mission, delivering an intuitive and user-friendly AI experience.

Key Benefits of Perplexity Pro:

• Get answers in seconds: Find reliable information in seconds, making research and learning more efficient.Generative AI: Australia Update
  
  
• Work smarter, not harder: Save time on business and admin tasks.
  
  
• Stay up to date: Utilise unlimited searches and get the latest information utilising Perplexity, OpenAI, Anthropic, and others.
  
  
• Make sense of files fast: Quickly upload and analyse PDFs, images, or spreadsheets to get summaries and insights quickly.
  
  
• Granular control with sophisticated AI: Perplexity Pro subscribers can toggle between top AI models for different needs, upload files, perform deep research, and more.
   

"AI shouldn’t be reserved for experts or tech insiders. We believe that all Australians deserve access to the tools that can make their lives easier, more productive, and more informed. Whether it's helping with learning, work, or planning itineraries, AI is a game-changer. That’s why we’re partnering with AI trail blazer, Perplexity, to offer every eligible Optus mobile customer a full year of Perplexity Pro, at no cost - a $300 value, absolutely free. It’s just one more way we’re delivering real, tangible value to our customers,” said Anthony Shiner, Chief Customer Officer, Consumer, Optus.

From June 2, eligible Optus Prepaid and Postpaid customers will start to receive their free 12 month offer via email or SMS². Optus customers can take advantage of the Perplexity Pro offer via their website and will have until 11:59 AEST 31 December, 2025 to redeem their offer.

"We built Perplexity to make knowledge accessible to everyone. Our partnership with Optus allows us to reach a broader audience in Australia, helping users navigate the digital landscape with confidence, said Ryan Foutty, Vice President of Business at Perplexity."

This initiative is a key part of Optus’s broader AI strategy which focuses on leveraging AI to elevate our end-to-end customer experience. The partnership with Perplexity is part of Optus’ broader ecosystem of AI partners and reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the customer experience.

Perplexity Pro will also be available for Optus employees. For more information on the offer, please visit our website.

Optus also provides resources for families on generative AI and online safety, with tips and conversation starters available here.

A guide of Perplexity’s prompts can be found here.

Media contact
Nicky Thomson
Optus Corporate Affairs
02 9037 8179
media@optus.com.au

1 Deloitte Insights, Generative AI: Australia Update, May 2024
2 New Services - Eligible new Optus services opted into marketing communications. New users to Perplexity Pro only. Offer extended until 13/01/26. Offer redeemed from Perplexity AI by 28/02/26. T&Cs apply.