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Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom to merge T-Mobile and Orange UK
MUMBAI: Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom have signed an agreement to merge their UK operations, T-Mobile and Orange respectively, into a 50:50 joint venture company.
This binding agreement confirms the terms of the transaction announced on 8 September last year.
The agreement is subject to the approval of the supervisory board of Deutsche Telekom and the board of directors of France Telecom.
Completion of the merger is conditional upon approval by relevant authorities and remains expected in the first half of 2010 as previously indicated.
Says Deutsche Telekom CFO Timotheus Höttges, “This joint venture is based on the full commitment of Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom to a long term partnership.
“The negotiations were conducted in a fair manner by both sides and I am certain that this spirit of professionalism and partnership will shape the future of our joint venture. It will set new standards as the number one in the UK mobile market.”
Avers Orange deputy CEO in charge of Group Finance and Information Systems Gervais Pellissier, “The relative terms of the transaction as announced on 8 September were fully confirmed. I would like to stress the excellent cooperation between the teams of Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom that enabled us to deliver on the timing and process objectives which we set out in September.
“This is an important step towards our objective of establishing an excellent platform to deliver operational synergies and offer innovative and high quality services to our customers.”
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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.
