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BWA auction: Upward Spiral to over Rs 120 billion confirms service providers belief in Internet growth
NEW DELHI: With the Pan-India total crossing Rs 120 billion to close at just over Rs 122.57 billion, the Bandwidth Access (BWA) auction has proved the confidence providers have in the growth of the Internet in the country, even as the bidding is expected to close shortly.
After 110 rounds on the fourteenth, the bids for Mumbai and Delhi crossed the Rs Rs 20 billion mark with Rs 21529.5 million and Rs 21010.2 million respectively.
Tamil Nadu closed at Rs 19310.6 million, Karnataka was at Rs 15279.8 million, Andhra Pradesh clocked Rs 9977.8 million; and Gujarat was at Rs 5783.1 million.
While Kerala was at Rs 2437 million; East Uttar Pradesh closed at Rs 1329.5 million; Madhya Pradesh clocked Rs 1163 million, and Haryana closed at Rs 1118.7 million.
Rajasthan closed at Rs 935.4 million, Bihar at Rs 983 million; West Bengal clocked Rs 643 million; Orissa closed with Rs 630 million, Assam at Rs 308.3 million; the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir closed at Rs 198.7 million each, and Himachal Pradesh was at 194.9 million.
The bids for four service centres remained unchanged: the rest of Maharashtra at Rs 9156.4 million; Kolkata at Rs 5232 million; Punjab at Rs 3322.7 million; and West Uttar Pradesh at Rs 1784.7 million.
The rest of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kolkata, Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Orissa are unlikely to see any increase with no applications for price increment for tomorrow’s rounds.
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and North-East are expected to see minimal increase with bids of just over Rs one million each.
The telecom operators in the race are Aircel, Augere (Mauritius) Limited, Bharti Airtel, Infotel Broadband Services Private Limited, Qualcomm Incorporated, Reliance WiMax Limited, Spice Internet Service, Provider Private Limited, Tata Communications Internet Services Limited, Tikona Digital Networks Private Limited and Vodafone Essar Limited.
The successful bidders would be allowed to start commercial operations from 1 September.
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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.
