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BSNL offers free Vas services to broadband subs
MUMBAI: The state-run telecom services provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which controls 60 per cent of India‘s broadband market with 6.9 million customers, has launched a promotional offer for its new postpaid subscribers.
BSNL is now offering all the new postpaid broadband registrations one-month free subscription of value added services (Vas) – entertainment portal (worth Rs 149) and Games On Demand (worth Rs 199).
The scheme is valid for subscribers registering till 31 March.
BSNL is also offering other freebees to new broadband customers including free installation (worth Rs 250) to all prepaid and postpaid customers; free usage for the first 15 days, and staggered security deposit payment in three installments to all postpaid broadband customers.
BSNL offers downloading/uploading speed ranging from 256 Kbps to 24 Mbps. It has a multi-gigabit, multi-protocol convergent IP infrastructure that provides convergent services like voice, video and data through the same backbone and broadband access network.
BSNL is planning to offer a host of other value added services on its broadband platform shortly, including video surveillance service, topper education services and Voice & Video over Broadband (VVoBB) service.
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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.
