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MTNL in IPTV deals with Aksh Optifibre, IOL Broadband
MUMBAI: Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL) has signed content delivery network affiliation contracts with Aksh Optifibre Ltd and IOL Broadband Ltd, which would allow the state-owned telecom major to offer IPTV services to its subscribers.
With this, MTNL has selected three franchisees for developing the content delivery platform. Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd, India (TBSPL) was the first to have won the contract for both Delhi and Mumbai and has a seven-year non exclusive deal with MTNL.
While MTNL has ensured a bank guarantee of Rs 5 million from Aksh Optifibre, IOL Broadband has guaranteed Rs 2.5 million. Aksh Optifibre has expressed intent to operate in Delhi and Mumbai while IOL‘s interest is restricted to Mumbai at this stage.
IOL Broadband plans to use US-based SeaChange for the IP video servers, storage and middleware, says a senior company executive. The digital set-top boxes (STBs) will be provided by UK-based Amino while the digital rights management solution will be from US-based Widevine.
“We plan to invest $25 million in the early phase of the project. We have also an eye on extending to Delhi,” says the executive.
Aksh Optifibre plans to use UTStarcom technology for its content delivery network, an MTNL official says. Bharti, which is conducting test runs in Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi with multiple vendors, had also used UTStarcom technology, including the headend and the digital STBs.
“The idea of having multiple franchisees is to provide content flexibility to our subscribers,” says the MTNL official.
Time Broadband, meanwhile, has tested 560 STBs and is ready for commercial launch. Says TBSPL managing director Sujata Dev, “We have already deployed 150 STBs in the subscriber homes. We are increasing the number of channels from 30 to 100 on the test run by the end of this month. Star and Zee have agreed to offer the pay channels for this as our content protection system in place.”
Time Broadband, which has US-based Kasenna as its middleware vendor, while Verimatrix Inc is providing content protection solutions, has so far invested $3 million in the project.
MTNL is employing ADSL 2+ technology for running its IPTV services. For the video part, the telecom giant will be using MPEG-4 compression technology.
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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.
