Applications
Airtel to offer voice chat for fixed-line users
MUMBAI: Airtel Broadband & Telephone Services (Airtel B&TS) today introduced the voice chat service on Airtel fixed-lines as part of its endeavour to deliver innovative service offerings to its fixed-line customers. This facility will enable customers to chat anonymously with other Airtel mobile and fixed-line customers, across the country. |
According to an official release, the key aspect of this service is that it enables customers, especially women, to search for friends from amongst total strangers without the risk of exposing their real identity. To avail the service, an Airtel fixed-line customer has to call *694 and register his profile. Once registered, the customer searches for profiles with similar interests as his to chat with and extends chat invitations to them. In a bid to offer security and anonymity, users have the option to accept or reject the invitation. All users also have the option of ‘call back‘ as well as ‘direct calling‘ on their chat IDs. This service is available at a monthly rental of Rs. 30 and a call charge of Rs. 3 per minute. The company has an introductory offer of no monthly rental till 30 June. |
President of Airtel broadband and telephone services Atul Bindal, said, “This service will take the telephone beyond ordinary voice calling and will enable our customers to search in a secure and anonymous manner for like-minded friends, thereby providing a more interesting medium for the extremely popular internet chatting service.”
|
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.
