Next time you take a ride in an Uber cab, you can browse the Net for free.

The cab aggregator has partnered with Airtel to set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs. The facility has been launched in Mumbai and will be rolled out in other cities soon.

Taxi bill by mobile Uber will pay Airtel for the bandwidth consumed. The cab hailing service company has also tied up with Airtel to give its riders the option of paying for their rides through the telecom operator’s mobile wallet – Airtel Money.

“We have launched the service in Mumbai and we are looking to roll out the service to all the 18 cities we have a presence in. We are launching this service on a large scale,” said Uber India President Amit Jain.

Uber has operations in more than 60 countries and about 330 cities, of which 18 are in India. The company had launched operations in India less than two years ago and now has about 150,000 driver partners.

Under the terms, Bharti Airtel is offering its 4G MiFi (mobile WiFi) devices to Uber vehicles, while drivers get subsidised mobile devices and data plans. Uber will offer discounts to Airtel customers, including ₹500 off on their first ride using Airtel Money.

“We are the exclusive telecom service provider for Uber, and we work with them across a variety of things from payments to providing the drivers customised plans and WiFi plans. We bring the payment platform, while Uber brings transportation to the table,” said Srini Gopalan, Director-Consumer Business at Bharti Airtel.

Earlier this month, Airtel – the world’s third largest mobile services provider by subscribers – launched commercial 4G services across 296 towns in the country.

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