Applications
Ericsson is Bharti Airtel‘s largest partner for 3G services
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, a global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa, has selected Ericsson India, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Huawei Technologies as network partners to launch 3G Services in India.
These partners will plan, design, deploy and maintain a state of the art 3G HSPA Network in Bharti Airtel 3G license circles. This deployment would enable Bharti Airtel meet the growing demand for high speed surfing and wireless entertainment in the country, according to an announcement made today.
Bharti Airtel has awarded a majority of the 3G License Circles to Ericsson India. With this, Ericsson continues to be Bharti’s largest Network Partner across 2G and 3G circles in the country.
On the same lines, Bharti has also expanded its relationship with Nokia Siemens Networks, which would manage Bharti’s 3G Network in 3 circles across India. Bharti Airtel has also introduced Huawei Technologies as the 3rd partner for offering 3G services in a few circles.
Airtel’s 3G services will usher in a new era of unique life style products. The offerings will be specifically targeted towards mobile broadband, given the enhanced speed and user experience which the 3G technology enables. The partners will play a catalyst role in enhancing the customer experience and the data usage habits in the country.
In addition to being HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access) ready from launch, the 3G network will support user data speeds and enhanced mobile broadband user experience. High Speed Packet Access enables high peak user throughputs which are multiple times higher than those supported in current 2G networks.
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.
