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IT-specific SEZs to turn India into telecom hub
NEW DELHI: With the number of telecom-specific Special Economic Zones in the country going up to over 50 within the next year, the country will take another step towards becoming a telecom manufacturing hub.The commerce and industry ministry has already notified 42 sector specific Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for Electronic Hardware and Information Technology including Information Technology Enabled Services (IT/ITES) under the provisions of the SEZ Act 2005, adding to the nine already functioning in different parts of the country. |
Of the 42, the largest number of ten SEZs would be in Andhra Pradesh, followed by nine in Tamil Nadu, eight in Karnataka, three each in Kerala and Maharashtra, two each in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and one each in Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, and West Bengal.The nine already existing include seven which are IT/ITES specific and two – Nokia SEZ and Flextronics SEZ – deal in electronic hardware. In addition, the Moser-Baer SEZ in NOIDA is dealing with Solar Cells which will also come in useful to IT. The IT/ITES specific SEZ are: Mahindra IT, Wipro, ETL Infrastructure, Rajiv Gandhi IT Park in Chandigarh, WIPRO Electronic City, WIPRO Limited Sarjapur, and Biocon Limited in Bangalore. |
These are among the 31 SEZ – ten of them multi-product – already operational in the country as on 31 March, and include those which were established prior to the SEZ Act 2005. Commerce and industry ministry sources told Indiantelevision.com that the total export earning from IT/ITES SEZs was Rs 26.82 billion during 2006-07. Nokia led the Electronic Hardware SEZs with exports to the tune of Rs 16.49 billion. Communications and information technology ministry sources added that an ‘Export Promotion Forum’ was also being set up under the aegis of the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India to promote export of telecom equipment and services. |
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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.
