YouTube has joined forces with Indian network operator Tata Docomo and video streaming service Apalya to create a new range of YouTube recharge data plans for its 3G customers.

The Google-owned video site is the most popular source of video for Indian internet users, and a 2013 report by Comscore showed that video consumption via PCs in India had doubled in the space of a year, with similar growth predicted for mobiles. By partnering together, it is likely that YouTube, Tata Docomo and Apalya are seeking to gain a clearer picture of how customers are spending their mobile credit on video content.

With the new plans, Tata Docomo customers will gain access to YouTube for half the regular price, choosing between 100MB of video content for 9R (£0.09), which is valid for 24 hours and equates to 20-30 minutes of 240p quality playback, or 300MB of content for 39R (£0.38) which is valid for seven days.

“We hope Indians will be able to get more out of YouTube at a better price,” said Gautam Anand, director of content partnerships and operations for YouTube Asia-Pacific. According to YouTube, 40 per cent of its content is consumed on mobile devices, but in emerging markets like India, where mobile internet is growing faster than desktop has, and many customers use mobiles exclusively, more affordable access and transparent billing are crucial for increasing the adoption of mobile data plans.

While this is the first deal of its kind in India, YouTube already has a similar partnership in place with Malaysian operator Digi, with similar data bundles available to customers.