Applications
Reliance acquires US based Yipes Holdings for $300 million
MUMBAI: Anil Ambani‘s Reliance Communications has acquired for $300 million US-based Yipes Holdings, a leading provider of managed Ethernet services. This is Reliance Communications largest acquisition and would accelerate the company‘s penetration into the lucrative $ 100 billion global enterprise data market. By synergising Flag and Yipes, Reliance is looking to become a leader in Ethernet which will be worth $ 25 billion market wordwide by 2010. Yipes is strongly positioned in Ethernet, by far the highest growth segment in the US datacom market, with an annual growth rate of over 30 per cent. It has a strategic network presence in the top 14 US metros, which account for 40 per cent of the total US datacom market. Yipes has nearly 1,000 enterprise customers and provides mission critical communications platforms for entire industry communities. Says Reliance Communications chairman Anil Ambani, “This is the largest acquisition that Reliance Communications has ever made. The acquisition of Yipes drives forward our strategy to offer the most sophisticated, cutting edge data communication products and services, specialising in application and content distribution, spanning developed and emerging markets. ” We see enormous potential to rapidly expand Yipes coverage in the US and to globalise Yipes service by leveraging our customer relationships and network reach around the globe. We confidently expect this acquisition to significantly enhance the growth rate, profitability and returns of our global data business. “ Established in 1999, Yipes has pioneered Metro Ethernet and has developed edge proprietary products to meet the exacting requirements of its customers. Ethernet is the fastest growing segment of the data communications market, driven by the migration of enterprise customers from older private network technologies. Infonetics Research forecasts the Ethernet services market will surge by over 30 per cent CAGR from 2006 to 2010 when it will top $ 25 billion worldwide. Yipes has nearly 1,000 enterprise customers, concentrated across four industry verticals – financial, legal, government and healthcare – which currently account for 50 per cent of the Ethernet market. Yipes has developed communications platforms that act as the oxygen for entire industry communities. For example, Yipes is the leading direct communications provider to the New York Stock Exchange, Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Nasdaq and interconnects with multiple market participants and intermediaries. Says Yipes CEO John Scanlon, “Yipes pioneered Metro Ethernet services, extended it across the US and is poised to expand globally. With Reliance Communications, we aim to replicate our success in the US across the rest of the world. The financial sector, in particular, presents a key opportunity for us as we are well positioned to capture the market by meeting the fast-growing and stringent connectivity requirements of financial exchanges around the world. The financial connectivity market alone is expected to reach $ 6.3 billion by 2010 and grow at around 35 per cent per annum.”
Reliance will rapidly expand Yipes coverage within the US and take Yipes to nearly 40 new markets globally where Reliance is already present in Middle East, Asia and India.
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.
