Verizon Wireless today launched a mobile payment service that enables users to make online purchasers and have the charges appear on their phone bill. While the offering may sound odd at first, I can see where users might be inclined to enter a cell phone number to make a purchase rather than a credit card number, and the $25 cap might be a good way to allow kids to use the service rather giving them sensitive credit-card info. This is a great example of the kind of outside-the-box thinking I talked about in my current weekly update, and it demonstrates that Verizon understands that the traditional business model of operating a network is insufficient for carriers looking to compete in the long term.