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Telecom attracts Rs 118 billion FDI inflows
NEW DELHI: The total amount of major foreign direct investment inflow in the telecom sector amounted to Rs 118.18 billion in the last 17 years between August 1991 and January 2007. Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Shakeel Ahmed told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, that this FDI investment was on behalf of eight large players. |
The largest proposals were by Aircel Ltd. with foreign investment of $800 million by Global Communication Services Holding Ltd, Essar Telecom India with FDI of $500 million by Essar Communications of Mauritius; Bharti Airtel Ltd. with foreign investment of $370 million from Vodaphone of United Kingdom, and a new joint venture to be formed with foreign investment of $100 million by Bycell Holding AG of Switzerland. The other proposals are from AT & T Global Services of India with FDI of $3.6 million by AT & T Inc. of the United States; World Phone Internet Services with $3.6 million by Advance Internet Services of Mauritius; BT Telecom India with $5 million investment by BT Global Communications of Mauritius; and Spice Communications with $6 million investment by Distacom Communications (India) Ltd. of Mauritius. The minister said that the recent approval by Vodaphone International Holdings of Netherlands for acquisition of effective shareholding of 51.96 per cent in Hutchison Essar Ltd. did not involve any inward inflow of FDI as the acquisition was by a non-resident entity from another non-resident entity. |
While clearing the British telecom giant Vodaophone deal on 27 April, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) expressed concern on the FDI inflow into India and said the government should review the guidelines relating to foreign investment in the country across all sectors. Under recently announced Press Note 3 ‘‘Indirect foreign investment shall mean foreign investment in the company/ companies holding shares of the licensee company and their holding company/companies or legal entity (such as mutual funds, trusts) on proportionate basis. In any case, the `Indian‘ shareholding will not be less than 26 per cent.‘‘ Vodafone had bought a controlling 52 per cent stake in HEL from Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecom International at a total enterprise value of over $18 billion. |
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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.
