Open standards and interoperability are key to mobile health offerings scaling in developing markets, Ericsson's head of sustainability and corporate responsibility Elaine Weidman told the Financial Times in a recent interview.

“Vertical solutions cannot be scaled because vertical solutions look at one business model and don’t look at consumer convenience and flexibility,” US-based C-SAM's CEO Sam Pitroda, who is also chair of India’s National Knowledge Commission, told the FT. Pitroda pointed to the financial industry as an example: “We use whatever we feel like – you can’t tell me to make a payment one way,” he says.

Of course, stores and online shops often tell people which way to pay -- American Express not accepted, etc. -- but his point is clear, consumer convenience and flexibility is important to adoption and an integrated platform that can offer multiple services might make it easier for consumers.

The Financial Times piece mention medication adherence programs in Thailand and remote health workers using mobiles in Africa -- read more from the article here.