HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Nguyen Huu Truc's trusty cell phone has revolutionized his small embroidery business -- and his life.
When he bought his first mobile phone in 1995, Vietnam had just one fixed-line phone for every 100 people, and cell phones 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 cell phone from virtually anywhere in the country for about 10 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."
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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.
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more:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/01/29/cell.phone.revolution.ap/index.html