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GBI and Pacnet announce network extension partnership
BANGALORE: Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the Middle East’s first privately owned submarine cable operator, and Asian independent telecommunications service provider Pacnet announce a partnership which will extend both companies’ international connectivity and provide new and cost-effective solutions for customers.
The launch of GBI’s cable system will provide telecom operators and other communications companies, both in the region and globally, with greater choice, value, diversity and resilience claims a Pacnet press release. The GBI Cable System, which will utilize the latest subsea fiber cable technology, will connect all the countries of the Gulf region to each other and provide onward connectivity to Europe and Asia.
Pacnet owns and operates EAC-C2C, a submarine cable network spanning 36,800 km across Asia, as well as EAC Pacific, a 9,620 km Trans-Pacific cable connecting Japan and the US. Through West Asia Crossing (WAC), a new submarine cable that it is building to connect Singapore and India, Pacnet will deliver seamless connectivity between India, Asia and the US on a single Pacnet network.
Upon signing the partnership, GBI Board Member and CEO Ahmed Mekky said “Both of our companies are investing heavily in infrastructure to better serve the forecast increase in traffic between the Middle East and Asia Pacific. This partnership with Pacnet is a major milestone for GBI as it extends GBI’s reach beyond our core cable system. However, this agreement goes beyond just connectivity, as it will enable both companies to work closely to develop and launch new and more cost-effective services for our customers.”
Scheduled to launch in 2011 and designed to operate for up to 25 years, the GBI cable system will connect all the Gulf countries via a core ring, which can re-route traffic thereby increasing resilience. With a design capacity of up to 5 terabits per second on certain cable sections, the GBI Cable System will have the capability to meet the rapid growth in demand that has been forecast for traffic originating and terminating in Gulf.
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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.
