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Google, Sprint Nextel to develop mobile portal
MUMBAI: US based mobile phone company Sprint Nextel Corp. will collaborate with Google Inc. to develop a new mobile internet portal. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In the partnership, Sprint will use some of the company’s known products, including applications like Google Talk instant-messaging, email service Gmail and Google search engine amongst others. The two companies will also develop new location-based services for corporations, consumers and government customers too. WiMAX will be tested in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington and Sprint Nextel Corp. is hoping to be covering about 100 million users by the end of the year, as its service is expected to launch by spring. Google enterprise VP and GM Dave Girouard said, “Google shares Sprint’s vision for enhancing the consumer’s mobile lifestyle and is focused on greater access to information through a variety of channels. We look forward to working with Sprint to bring to market a rich and compelling broadband experience for WiMAX customers.” Google itself has plans for becoming a wireless-service provider and has announced its intention of spending to enter a bid for the upcoming auction for the 700-megahertz band spectrum. The partnership with Sprint Nextel is expected to give Google a good understanding of the wireless industry and help it to gain more in the business. Recently Sprint also announced a 20-year agreement with Clearwire Corp. for building a WiMAX network all across the United States, which is expected to eventually provide coverage to about 300 million users.
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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.
