iWorld
Airtel further strengthens its partnership ZEE5
KOLKATA: As part of its strategic alliance with ZEE5, Bharti Airtel (Airtel) today launched new propositions for its mobile customers in India. These prepaid propositions are designed to deliver an exciting digital entertainment experience to Airtel smartphone customers by unlocking the full ZEE5 premium content catalogue to go with generous high speed data allowance and unlimited calling benefit.
1. The new Rs 289 prepaid bundle offers Unlimited Calling, 1.5 GB/day, 100 SMS/day plus full access to the entire ZEE5 catalogue, which includes hits such as Ghoomketu, Chintu Ka Birthday, Rangbaaz Phirse, Lalbazaar to name a few. The bundle comes with a validity of 28 days. In addition, as part of Airtel Thanks benefits the customer also gets access to Airtel
Xstream content and Wynk Music subscription .
2. The Rs 79 top-up offers subscription to the entire ZEE5 catalogue for 30 days. The convenient top up will be available to all Airtel customers through the Digital Store Section on Airtel Thanks App. Customers can purchase the new prepaid pack on Airtel Thanks app, www.airtel.in and at all Airtel retail stores across India.
Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer Shashwat Sharma said: “With the massive surge in consumption of digital content on smartphones, Airtel’s new prepaid packs make it simpler for millions of customers to access rich content from ZEE5 without having to worry about managing separate
subscription charges. Our users can enjoy this exclusive content offering on Airtel 4G, which has been consistently rated as India’s top mobile network for video by global experts.”
ZEE5 India business development and commercial head Manpreet Bumrah said, “During such unprecedented times, we urge all the citizens to stay home and stay calm, while we continue to serve the best of entertainment content across languages, genres, and a spectrum of devices. Our partnership with Airtel enables us to maximise reach by appealing to a large base of Airtel consumers present across the country. With this proposition, we are enhancing our existing relationship and reach through prepaid bundle & top-up plans further democratising access to world-class entertainment at consumer’s fingertip.”
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
