When he bought his first mobile phone in 1995, Vietnam had just one fixed-line phone for every 100 people, and cellphones were a pricey novelty. Communication was difficult, forcing Truc to make time-consuming trips to suppliers and buyers.

But these days, Vietnam has 33 telephones per 100 people — and two-thirds of the phones are mobile. Now Truc can make calls on his cellphone from virtually anywhere in the country for about 10 U.S. cents a minute, saving him time and money and providing quicker access to information.

“I cannot imagine what it would be like if I didn’t have my mobile phone for a day,” he says. “It’s no longer just something that only the rich can afford. Now, it’s a basic means of communication.”

Truc’s experience provides a glimpse into how wireless communication is helping fuel Vietnam’s rapid growth — and transforming dozens of other developing nations from the ground up.

Today, mobile phones are the primary form of telecommunication in most emerging economies, fulfilling much the same role as fixed-line phone networks did in facilitating growth in the United States and Europe after World War II.

Some developing nations have even jumped out in front as mobile pioneers. In the Philippines, more than 4 million people use their cellphones as virtual wallets to buy things or transfer cash — services still rare in many wealthy countries, with few exceptions like Japan.

As service charges and handset prices have plunged and coverage areas have expanded, cellphone subscriptions in the developing world have surged fivefold since 2000, to 1.4 billion at the end of 2005, according to the U.N. International Telecommunication Union. That’s nearly double the 800 million in advanced economies.

Research shows that greater cellphone use can drive economic growth in emerging economies. Based on market research in China, India and the Philippines, consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that raising wireless penetration by 10 percentage points can lead to an increase in gross domestic product of about 0.5 percent, or around US$12 billion for an economy the size of China.

“There’s enormous entrepreneurship and creativity worldwide, and through mobile phones you’re providing people with the tools — rather than aid — to earn a living,” says Leonard Waverman, a London Business School professor. In a separate study of 92 developing countries, Waverman had findings similar to McKinsey’s report.

“It’s not a magic bullet, but it’s a vital tool,” says Waverman, whose research was partly funded by British mobile carrier Vodafone Group PLC.

By bouncing signals off base stations, relay towers and satellites instead of over copper wires strung to villages and homes, cellphones can hurdle mountains and other obstacles like illiteracy — which is a barrier to computer use — giving millions new opportunities to exchange information, make money and conduct business.

In India, fishermen call ahead to ports to see where they will get the best deal on their catch. Kenyan farmers check crop prices on a service offered by local provider Safaricom.

In South Africa, cellphones serve as a virtual office for carpenters, painters and other laborers who post their numbers on handwritten signs advertising their skills.

In Bangladesh, a quarter of a million “phone ladies” buy mobile phones on credit from Grameen Bank, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize along with its founder Muhammad Yunus, providing wireless communication for the community and themselves with a livelihood.

The Philippines has become a global leader in mobile commerce. Since 2000, Smart Communications Inc., the country’s largest carrier, has allowed subscribers in its Smart Money program to hold limited amounts of cash in electronic wallets linked to their mobile accounts.

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