British telecommunications operator Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has teamed up with AI-powered search engine Perplexity to offer its customers one year of free access to Perplexity Pro, an advanced research tool valued at GBP 150 annually. The offer, available to all O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers through the Priority program, is valid until May 2025, VMO2 said.
Virgin Media O2 is an integrated communications provider offering broadband internet, fixed-line telephony and mobile services in the United Kingdom. Virgin Media O2 is a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefonica. Earlier, Spain-based Telefonica, through its investment arm, invested an undisclosed amount into Perplexity AI to integrate its services into its offerings to customers.
Perplexity Pro
VMO2 says Perplexity Pro enhances online research by providing clear, AI-generated answers with trusted citations. It leverages the most powerful AI models available to provide detailed answers. Users can also access Pro Search, a feature that breaks down queries into smaller steps for more comprehensive results and interact via a conversational interface with voice mode.
The collaboration comes after a Virgin Media O2 survey revealed 73 percent of Brits are increasingly open to AI, with many using it for tasks like finding product reviews (67 percent), travel planning (59 percent), and even personal advice (41 percent). According to the operator, half of Brits even admit to AI improving their life at home.
Lisa Johnstone, Director of Priority at Virgin Media O2, said, “With more and more of us embracing AI to improve the way we work, shop and travel, the technology is becoming helpful in everyday digital life and we’re here to help our members navigate it with confidence. Whether our members want to plan a holiday or save money on their weekly shopping list, our new Perplexity Pro reward is like having an expert in your pocket to find the best deals and manage day-to-day needs.”
Dmitry Shevelenko, Chief Business Officer of Perplexity, said: “Everyone deserves instant, reliable answers to their questions without needing to sift through endless web pages and SEO-driven content. Instead, Perplexity delivers this experience in a way that prioritises trust and the user experience. Virgin Media O2 not only makes it possible for people to use Perplexity on their devices, but they are also taking their commitment to their subscribers a step further by giving them Perplexity Pro free for a year.”
Perplexity Pro’s Features
Perplexity Pro also allows consumers to choose between the latest advanced AI models, including Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet, OpenAI’s GPT-4 Omni, and Perplexity’s Sonar model (built on Meta’s LlaMa 3.1). O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers can claim the offer through the Priority app or website until May 2025.
Recently, O2 launched a new tool in the fight against fraud: Daisy, a human-like, AI-powered “Granny.” Daisy is designed to waste scammers’ time by engaging them in long, lifelike conversations.
Created with AI and trained with the help of one of YouTube’s best-known scambaiters, Jim Browning, Daisy can interact autonomously, keeping fraudsters on the line for up to 40 minutes and preventing them from targeting real victims.
As part of O2’s “Swerve the Scammers” campaign, Daisy aims to raise awareness about the growing fraud epidemic in the UK. This initiative is part of O2’s ongoing efforts to protect customers from the rise in scams, the operator said.
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