Applications
Trai extends dates for comments on MVAS paper
MNEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, which had issued a consultation paper on “Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS)” on 21 July 2011, has extended the last date for receipt of comments from stakeholders to 23 August and counter comments to 30 August.
This has been done on the request of some stakeholders who were not comfortable with the earlier dates of 12 and 19 August.
Quoting from the IAMAI report, Trai said entertainment had a share of 57 per cent compared to 39 per cent share for information and only four per cent for m-commerce.
Entertainment includes ringtones, music, contests, and voting games and so on. The total revenue from entertainment is Rs 67.6 billion. The revenue from information MVAS is around Rs 46.25 billion and from m-commerce a mere Rs 4.72 billion.
In its paper, Trai had sought the opinion of stakeholders on whether the current provisions under various licenses (UASL, CMTS, Basic and ISP) are adequate to grow the MVAS market to the desired level.
At the outset, the paper said with rapid technological developments, the mobile phone has evolved from a mere communication device to a smart phone with an ability to tap a plethora of information and services.
The services provided over a mobile phone today have moved beyond their fundamental role of voice communications to a range of value added services.
MVAS adds value to service, enabling the subscribers to use the mobile phone for a host of purposes like sending short messages (SMS), pictures, play games, listen to music, read news headlines, astrology, get flight information, surf Internet and mobile banking.
In addition to benefiting consumers, MVAS is likely to become a tool for additional revenues, service differentiation, and customer retention for telecom service providers. MVAS is expected to be the next wave for growth and a large chunk of revenue is expected to flow in from MVAS in the near future.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
