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Spectrum delinked from licences to increase availability via auctions: Deora
NEW DELHI: In view of shortage of spectrum for terrestrial broadcasting and telecom sectors, spectrum has been delinked from licences and market discovered price mechanism by successfully introducing auctions.
Minister of state for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora told Parliament that the National Telecom Policy-2012 (NTP-2012) stipulates, among others, to re-farm and allot alternative bands or media to service providers from time to time to make spectrum available for introduction of new technologies for telecom applications.
He said an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) constituted on 26 November 2009 has made recommendations relating to measures for early introduction of spectrum efficient digital terrestrial broadcasting for vacation of spectrum for other services in line with international practices.
Its terms of reference also includes recommending measures for vacation of adequate additional spectrum by the existing large users such as Defence, Space, Paramilitary, etc., in a time bound manner for the growth of mobile telephony and broadband sectors in the country.
Some of the telecom service providers have reported interference in their mobile networks in some of the service areas. The Defence Ministry has been requested to coordinate alternate frequency in such service areas. Spectrum has been identified in different frequency bands to meet the requirements of Defence which varies service area wise.
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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.
