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Vodafone moves HC against DoT order of auction of its 900 MHz
NEW DELHI: Even as the government is preparing to auction the remaining 2G spectrum, Vodafone has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the Telecommunication Department‘s action of putting its 900 MHz spectrum to auction.
The petition has opposed the auction as it had applied for licence extension which is pending with the Department. Vodafone said that it had in December 2012 sought extension of its licence period for Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata circles which are coming up for renewal in November 2014.
Even when these applications for renewal were pending, the DoT went ahead to announce the auction of 900 MHz spectrum, Vodafone said. The extension of auction was sought under clause 4.1 of the licence agreement under which government can extend the period of licence for further 10 years, Vodafone said. It sought a fair and reasonable extension as per the rules.
Vodafone contended that the action of DoT to auction its existing licenses is arbitrary and against the provisions of policy and licence and also disruptive against public interest.
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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.
