Had a chance to talk to NY Times and Bloomberg Businesweek on iphone, data traffic, congestion, and payments.

NY Times story deals with the impact of iPhone on Verizon and the networks are faring

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/technology/iphone-bolsters-verizon-results.html

One issue with the introduction of the iPhone to Verizon was whether the carrier would buckle under the crush of the new data-intensive users. It has not, which analysts attributed to the fact that Verizon had several years to upgrade its network and infrastructure while watching AT&T struggle with this problem. “Verizon was better prepared thanks to AT&T,” said Chetan Sharma, an independent wireless analyst.

But even AT&T’s network, long the source of complaints from beleaguered users who said they got poor cellular reception and suffered from dropped calls, has improved over all, Mr. Sharma said.

“Verizon’s had Android for a long time,” said Mr. Sharma, who keeps a close eye on the industry. “This was the first real test between an iPhone and Android and consumers still gravitate towards the iPhone.”

Bloomberg did an in-depth piece on mobile payments

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/pay-as-you-go-with-smartphones-07142011.html

For any new approach to really catch on, it has to offer some compelling advantage. “If there’s not a significant improvement from the past, either in convenience or in some form of monetary value to the merchant or consumer, payment technologies generally don’t catch on,” says Chetan Sharma, a mobile industry consultant. “There has to be something different about a new technology that makes life better.”

We will have more thoughts and research coming on both topics in the coming days. Stay tuned. Of course, we will covering both these topics in-depth at our Mobile Future Forward Summit.