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Hong Kong’s PCCW to broadcast real-time TV over 3G network
MUMBAI: The Hong Kong-based PCCW Mobile announced it has become the world‘s first mobile provider to broadcast real-time TV over its 3G network, using Cell Multimedia Broadcast (CMB) technology.
The service was demonstrated today by PCCW executive director Alex Arena at a keynote address at the 2006 Broadband World Forum Asia, being held in Hong Kong.
PCCW will begin broadcasting programming from its IPTV service, now TV, to its 3G mobile trial customer base, using the CMB technology. The technology, developed by Huawei Technologies, allows broadcasts of television programming to 3G phones, states an official release.
The service is being progressively rolled out throughout Hong Kong, with deployment begun in Hong Kong‘s MTR underground railway system nearly complete. Deployment throughout Hong Kong will be completed by end-June, making mobile TV available to all 110,000 users on PCCW mobile‘s 3G trial, the release adds.
“This is a significant innovation by PCCW, allowing us to leverage our extensive content line-up to more people, across more of our platforms, fixed and mobile,” PCCW executive director Alex Arena said. “We are excited to bring this groundbreaking 3G technology to our customers – another world first for us.”
CMB technology allows continuous broadcast feeds of TV programming over the 3G mobile network, reaching many more people simultaneously than other current 3G technologies. The technology is ideal for high density urban areas, including underground railways and other forms of public transport. With broadcast technology, network capacity can support large numbers of concurrent users with minimal impact on the network loading, allowing for cost-effective delivery.
Initial program offers over the mobile network will include now TV‘s Cantonese-language Business News Channel and other news and sports content. Other entertainment and infotainment programming will be added in time. Sports content from ESPN STAR Sports will be available in two weeks time, including ESPN‘s ever-popular SportsCenter news program. Sports event content from Sportev, including action, from next season‘s Barclays English Premier League (2006-07), will be available when the football season begins in August, the release informs.
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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.
