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Broadband subscribers increase to 6.98 mn in August
MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has announced that the total broadband subscribers in India have increased to 6.98 million in August as against 6.80 million in July. Thus, in the month of August, 0.18 million new customers subscribed to high speed connectivity, showing a growth of 2.65 per cent over the previous month. |
On-year-on-year basis, internet subscribers has grown from 4.73 million in 2008 to 6.98 million in 2009, an addition of 2.25 million. Meanwhile, Trai has also announced that the total telephone connections (wireline and wireless) have reached to 494.07 million subscribers as compared to 479.07 million in July 2009. With this growth, the overall tele-density has reached 42.27 per cent at the end of August 2009. The subscriber base in wireless segment has increased from 441.66 million in July this year to 456.74 million at the end of August at a monthly growth rate of 3.42 per cent. A total of 15.08 million wireless subscribers have been added during the month. The wireline segment has declined from 37.41 million in July to 37.33 million at the end of August, making a decrease of 0.09 million subscribers. |
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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.
