Applications
SES in pact for 12 Ku-band transponders for Indian DTH expansion
MUMBAI: SES World Skies, a division of SES, has entered into a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement that covers all 12 Ku-band transponders on the India beam of the SES-7 satellite.
The capacity on SES-7 will be used to support the growth and expansion of India’s fast growing direct-to-home (DTH) market.
SES World Skies VP sales for South Asia and the Middle East Deepak Mathur said, “SES provides significant satellite capacity for the explosive growth in the Indian media, DTH and telecommunications industries. SES currently supplies capacity to the Indian market via four of its satellites NSS-12, NSS-6, NSS-11 and SES-7, and we are committed to meet the growing demand requirements of the Indian DTH market, which is the fastest growing DTH market in the world with an estimated 30 million subscribers and is projected to overtake the US as the largest DTH market.”
SES-7 provides incremental Ku-band capacity at the orbital location of 108.2 degree East, driving the growth of DTH and enterprise services across South Asia and the Asia Pacific region.
The satellite, formerly known as ProtoStar II, has the potential of reaching 400 million households across Asia.
Built by Boeing and launched in May 2009, the spacecraft has an expected service life of 15 years and carries 22 high-power physical Ku-band transponders on switchable beams and 10 S-band transponders.
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.
