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Airtel to provide traffic updates in Bangalore
BANGALORE: Airtel has announced a pilot project in Bangalore, in partnership with the Karnataka government, to provide easy, convenient and real time traffic updates to commuters. This project will be implemented jointly with the Bangalore city traffic police and Mapunity Information Services. It uses Airtel‘s mobile network to cover all roads across Bangalore and provide real-time updates on traffic to users. Airtel has joined hands with the Karnataka government to jointly develop an urban traffic information system to be made available on mobile phones and through the internet. Mapunity‘s predictive and analytical algorithms would then develop live traffic information using the various inputs, and these would be made available through Airtel‘s phone network. Airtel has provided the capital expenditure for setting up the micro towers and the data for ‘Travel time estimation‘, based on which Mapunity has designed a predictive algorithm to anchor and co-ordinate technology and output the information. The Bangalore Transport Information System (BTIS) is governed by what Airtel claims to be the state-of-the-art technology that is based on recording traffic densities in real-time. It will use Airtel‘s mobile network to keep the public informed and updated in order to facilitate and steer towards optimal road choices. BTIS will bring together a wide range of information located on the urban map of Bangalore city and make it accessible to Airtel mobile users in order to facilitate their easy and convenient travel. How BTIS works: 1) The number of transaction counts from a cell tower is correlated to the number of people within the tower‘s range of detection. 2) The number of people in a given location is correlated with congestion in that location. 3) Therefore, using transaction data, it is possible to establish an indicator for congestion at key locations of interest. Cell phones / SIM cards on vehicles moving along known routes (e.g. public buses) can be mapped in real time to determine congestion at different points as well as travel times between locations. By this, bus routes and arrival times can also be accessed on the phone. BTIS services in the pipeline for which Airtel is awaiting the state government‘s nod are: 1. Developing an Integrated Parking Information System to indicate locations and availability of parking spaces. 2. Developing a Route and Passenger Information System for BMTC based on real-time bus locations and traffic speeds.
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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.
