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3G auction: Bids slow down at process completes two weeks
NEW DELHI: The top bid for 3G – which has already reached more than double the opening price – appeared to be slowing down, with just a marginal increase to Rs 10832.7 million for Delhi at the end of 76 rounds on the 13th day today.
However, with Mumbai‘s final bid rising to Rs 10799.3 million, it showed every sign of overtaking Delhi with a price increment application of Rs 400 million for tomorrow as against just Rs 108.3 million for Delhi.
The rest of Maharashtra peaked at Rs 7691 million, with Tamil Nadu at Rs 7468.4 million. Karnataka closed at Rs 6913.4 million while Andhra Pradesh had a bid of Rs 6851.6 million and Gujarat closed at Rs 6316.5 million. Kerala rose marginally to Rs 2561.8 million while Kolkata clocked Rs 2411.6 million respectively.
The bids for some states are expected to rise very little, with no applications for price increment for tomorrow‘s round. These include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, West and East Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and the North-East.
West Uttar Pradesh clocked Rs 3005.7 million. Punjab stopped at Rs 1448.8 million and Haryana closed at Rs 2182 million. Madhya Pradesh and Bihar rose marginally to Rs 2362.7 million and Rs 344.1 million respectively. Rajasthan rose to Rs 2479.8 million and that of Assam and Orissa to Rs 309 million.
The bids for some states remained unchanged: East Uttar Pradesh at Rs 2575.1 million, West Bengal at Rs 1236.3 million, the North-East at Rs 306 million, and Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh service areas at Rs 300 million each.
The telecom operators in the race are Aircel, Bharti Airtel, Etisalat DB Telecom, Idea Cellular, Reliance, S Tel, Tata Teleservices, Videocon Telecommunications and Vodafone Essar.
The successful bidders would be allowed to start commercial 3G operations from 1 September.
A total of 11 telecom companies- Aircel Ltd, Augere (Mauritius), Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Infotel Broadband Services, Qualcomm, Reliance WiMax, Spice Internet Service Provider, Tata Communications Internet Services, Tikona Digital Networks and Vodafone Essar – have qualified for the BWA auction, according to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
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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.
