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The wireless carrier business model is based on expensive cellular data. If Wifi reaches near ubiquity why won't we all just switch to cheaper Wifi options? BTW 62% of all video on smartphones is done on Wifi today.

I'm not sure about cheaper, as opposed to reasoning of use. WiFi is incredibly ubiquitous in Europe, I would say in part because of the proximity of so many different countries. Imagine if your phone got exponentially more expensive to use between Georgia and Alabama (or if it just stopped working all together). I don't know how well this will play in the US beyond a physical space like the Stadium that's mentioned.

This made me realize two things: Apple just destroyed the carriers attempts to get a cut of the multibillion $ digital payment pie (in the original NFC vision the carriers were the gatekeepers of the encrypted transactional data and wanted their pound of flesh). Apple Pay sets new NFC security levels (tokenization and biometric I.D.) that all other OEM's and Android will have to scramble to equal.

A threat to the telecom industry. Web apps like Facebook and WhatsApp erode the need for "wireless data plans" which are the primary source of revenue for wireless carriers.

Is the real issue that mobile ads simple don't work? Should the whole space move to branded experiences with a value exchange (like SessionM).

Does this really signal the end of the proprietary wireless network?

Part of the acceleration from contract to monthly mobile service.

"With cloud gaming, consumers will be able to avoid buying Sony's PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Nintendo's Wii, and play using generic controllers connected to their set-top box or TV. Some carriers are looking at software that turns smartphones into controllers, the people said."

Firefox OS phone

Not for Pulse outlets, but could affect the pipeline to VZW and other carrier storefronts. Could result in larger consumer backlash depending on the full story.

It ties Facebook up with one of the bigger companies in the area of mobile billing: Bango is the payments provider for RIM's App World, which yesterday once again laid claim to being the second-most profitable app storefront after Apple's

Is this as disruptive to all wireless carriers as I think it is?

They're using Sprint's network right now but the plan is to white label the service to all the carriers.