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Telecom spectrum auctions only by December: Govt
NEW DELHI: The process of spectrum auction, including the one for 2G services, is expected to be completed within the first quarter of the next calendar year.
Finance Secretary R S Gujral said at an event organised here by CII that the Supreme Court had also the Department of Technology to complete the process in a period of three to four months, but the Department has said this is not feasible.
The Supreme Court on 2 February had cancelled 122 telecom licences awarded when A Raja was Telecom Minister. It termed them illegal and asked the government to conduct fresh auctions within four months.
The government in the Budget 2012-13 has estimated that Rs 400 billion would be raised through auction of spectrum, including the airwaves to be freed by cancellation of 122 licenses following the Supreme Court order.
Gujral said spectrum, apart from that for 2G services, is available with the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Defence.
DoT, in an application filed before the Supreme Court, has sought 400 days to complete the 2G auction process. DoT has mentioned that auctions can begin by 20 December and spectrum allocated to bidders in March next year.
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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.
