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Bharti Airtel and Ola have partnered to integrate Airtel Payments Bank and Ola Money into their respective services. This partnership looks to leverage Ola services on Airtel platfoms, and vice versa, in India. Notably, all Ola devices used by driver partners will now be powered by Airtel 4G, and in return, Airtel’s suite of entertainment will be offered on ‘Ola Play’ exclusively.
The Ola app will integrate Airtel Payments Bank to offer an additional digital payment mode while booking rides. In return, Ola Money will be integrated within MyAirtel app and the Airtel website to enable recharge of Airtel prepaid mobile, DTH, and payment of Airtel mobile and broadband bills through Ola Money.
Furthermore, Airtel retail stores will assist customers looking to book an Ola ride through kiosks in select locations. In return, Ola’s driver partners, will assist riders in recharging Airtel prepaid numbers on the go, if the need be. Airtel’s suite of entertainment offerings will be available on Ola Play exclusively, and all Ola driver partners will now have Airtel 4G as a compulsory network provider on all Ola devices.
In a statement, Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia) Bharti Airtel said, “At Airtel, we are constantly innovating to build products and partnerships that accelerate the development of India’s digital ecosystem. We are delighted to partner Ola to enable a seamless digital experience for customers. Both companies have strengths that complement each other and this offers massive scope to co-create exciting products and solutions for customers. Ola will also benefit from Airtel’s extensive retail network and our integrated suite of world-class connectivity solutions for businesses that help them drive growth through better efficiency.”
Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO and Co-Founder at Ola, elaborates on how this partnership is beneficial to both brands. “At Ola, we are always focused on innovating and building on the mobility experience for customers as well as driver partners. This first-of-its-kind partnership brings a host of offerings from two massive ecosystems together. Airtel will integrate its offerings across payments, content, PoS networks, and more with Ola’s offerings for its large customer and partner base. We see this as a win-win for partners and customers of both brands, bringing increased convenience and access to mobility as well as connectivity at the same time,” he said in a statement.
This integration of Ola and Airtel into its multitude of services will be done gradually. Shifting all Ola driver partners’ devices to Airtel 4G should take a while, and one should not expect an Airtel recharge from an Ola driver immediately. Also, the Ola Money payment option for recharging on the Airtel website or app, is not yet reflecting, neither is the Airtel Payments Bank option on the Ola app.
[“source-ndtv”]