Applications
Alcatel-Lucent supports launch of world’s first commercial trial of mobile TV service
MUMBAI: Alcatel-Lucent has announced its support for the world’s first commercial trial of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)’s new Bcast Smartcard Profile, a key emerging standard for mobile TV content protection. This trial is being led by Alcatel-Lucent for MobileOne (M1), a mobile telecom service provider in Singapore, and MediaCorp along with key mobile telecommunications providers SingTel and Starhub. |
The trial, which began in early August 2008, is based on Alcatel-Lucent’s industry-leading Mobile Interactive TV solution, which will power the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld) platform for the trial. The trial also includes mobile devices from Samsung and Smartcard Profile-compliant SIM cards from Gemalto. Alcatel-Lucent’s DVB-H platform supports the Open Mobile Alliance BCast Smartcard Profile (OMA Bcast SCP) standard, which is being adopted globally. This is a SIM-based service protection system that enables Mobile TV providers to offer flexible subscription models incorporating services such as pay-per-view, pay-per-time, recorded content and more. The Alcatel-Lucent Unlimited Mobile TV solution is a complete, turnkey solution that presents end-users with a truly diversified Mobile TV offer based on a mix of mainstream broadcast channels and an unlimited number of specialty unicast channels. Thanks to its multi-standard approach – spanning 3G, DVB-H and DVB-SH – the solution supports most of the DVB-H handsets on the market, including those supporting Digital Right Management Profile (DRMP) or Smartcard Profile (SCP). |
| Singtel director of consumer products mobile Kang Aik Siang says, “DVB-H is a new and exciting technology that can offer mobile TV broadcasts to our customers. The solution from Alcatel-Lucent and its partners will help us gauge customer‘s receptiveness to the service and fine-tune our planning parameters.” Starhub head of mobile services Anil Nihalani said, “The DVB-H platform is designed to optimise the delivery of broadcast content over mobile devices. Starhub is keen to gauge the receptiveness of our customers to this new service, and is pleased to be working with Alcatel-Lucent, Samsung and Gemalto in the user trial.” MediaCorp MD technologies Mock Pak Lum said, “The mobile phone is truly a unique platform as a third screen for TV content. The success of the Mobile TV service depends on abundance of handsets and good user experience. We are very happy that Alcatel-Lucent is supporting us for this trial”. Alcatel-Lucent MD Singapore and Brunei Oliver Foo says, “We are pleased to be able to partner with Singapore’s leading mobile communications industry players in bringing more advanced mobile TV options to Singaporeans. Asian subscribers are ready for a mobile TV offering that delivers a large variety of choices, a high level of personalization, maximum interactivity and great quality of service.” Samsung Asia MD Yoon Ki-Heung says, “Samsung is pleased to provide the latest Samsung SGH-P960 for the consumer mobile DVB-H trials in Singapore conducted by the three local telecommunications providers and MediaCorp. “With its DVB-H digital TV receiver, large LCD screen, HSDPA support and other capabilities, the SGH-P960 is an excellent showcase of Samsung’s mobile technology leadership. Samsung is confident in the upcoming DVB-H trials and looks forward to the day consumers in Singapore can get seamless streamed broadcast content direct into their mobile handsets.” NDS Asia Pacific VP, GM Sue Taylor says, “NDS is proud to be providing its industry leading Conditional Access System, with our VideoGuard Mobile, for this groundbreaking trial, in cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent, M1, Mediacorp, SingTel, Starhub and our other partners. “The NDS solution is based on the NDS Unified Headend architecture, which provides a single point of rights management for all video broadcasts, irrespective of the delivery networks or the rendering devices. The new platform will enable our partners to support multiple mobile broadcast profiles and multiple handsets simultaneously and cost-effectively.” |
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.
