I’m not sure if you are like me but I use my iPhone for everything – it’s my alarm clock, my camera, my concierge, my GPS, and a source of entertainment (for me and my kids). Yes, I admit it, I take it for granted. Sorry Siri.

I think this is something we can all relate to, as we have come reliant on this device on so many levels.

On a trip to New York yesterday, however, I was reminded just how important the iPhone has become (globally) and how the work we are doing at Affirmed Networks is helping to fuel this fire. Coincidentally, our trip to NY coincided with Apple’s quarterly earnings announcement – an event much awaited by the technology media waiting to see if Apple could continue to ship iPhones at such a feverish pace.

(For those of you who missed it, Apple once again delivered; selling 61.2 million iPhones during the quarter, beating analyst estimates of 60 m, and exceeding the 43 m they sold a year ago in the same quarter).

I think we all knew Apple was doing well, but it all hit home for me, during our scheduled meeting with Bloomberg, when they asked if Hassan (Ahmed, Affirmed’s Chairman and CEO), could offer some commentary and perspective on the impact of Apple’s continued success. As Hassan offered his thoughts, the linkage between what we are doing at Affirmed Networks and the continued global adoption of iPhones became painfully clear.

Technologies like NFV may seem to be “in the weeds” or considered behind-the-scenes “infrastructure,” but what we are doing is really enabling this trend today, and setting the stage for its continuation.  As these devices put more data on the network, we are helping MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) to dynamically respond to traffic spikes and reduce the overall network cost in ways that just weren’t possible through legacy approaches.

And it’s not just about keeping pace with traffic, we are providing MNOs with a new way of developing the types of services and applications that will continue to be valuable to consumers.  This will not only create new revenue streams for operators, but it will create the types of compelling new services that will drive continued reliance on these devices moving forward.

So I guess it took a trip to NY and some interesting commentary by our CEO for this to hit me between the eyes, but I’m glad it did, as I now have a much greater sense of appreciation – both for my iPhone and the great work the team here at Affirmed Networks is doing on behalf of our customers.