We expect mobile payments to be a hot topic of discussion next week. Visa CEO and President John Philip Coglan is a keynote speaker and is expected to announce a partnership with one of the smaller handset makers. We expect Visa to launch a mobile payments initiative that will make different mobile payment applications, including smart posters, possible. 

The mobile payment debate will also be the focus of a Mobile Payments World conference co-located with CTIA on Monday. Between the Visa keynote and Mobile Payments World, we expect to hear many discussions on whether mobile commerce will finally find a receptive audience in the U.S. after having such a slow start. Mobile device management will also factor into these discussions. Making sure a phone is secure and working correctly is critical to mobile payment’s success.  

Also, look for push-to-talk to experience a slight resurgence next week. PTT was a hot topic a few years ago as non-iDEN network operators such as Verizon Wireless and Cingular raced to launch PTT service to compete with Nextel.  PTT hasn’t garnered many headlines since 2005, but some operators are focusing more efforts on marketing their PTT service now that Sprint Nextel’s PTT service is languishing. –Brian