A Microsoft executive points out that lots of pieces in the mobile ecosystem need to fall into place before the promise of mobile payments takes off (full news story here). Like others he recognizes the need for an open ecosystem—the kind that has proved so important for the development of the personal computer ecosystem and the web.

Mobile carriers could take a lesson from Microsoft. The company has earned for itself and its executives Croesus-like fortunes by promoting an open platform that encourage hardware and software makers. The company itself accounts for a small percentage of overall revenue for the ecosystem in which it plays a central role. Bill Gates and others recognized that a tiny percent of a enormous pie is much better than an enormous percent of a tiny pie.