The Minitel story

France Télécom terminated Minitel on 30 June 2012. Minitel, the X25 protocol-based commercial on-line service for end-users, was one France’s best-known services, and a pride in technology for a good while before World Wide Web took over.

Minitel used terminals consisting of a screen that could also display simple graphics, a keyboard and a modem. Users had access to the service via telephone lines with 3615 being the most common dial number. The service was introduced in the 1980s, and users could manage their bank transactions, make purchases, ticket reservations, etc. “online” well before the age of the worldwide web. Nationwide service was launched in 1982 after four years of piloting in Britanny. The terminals were provided free of charge by PTT (Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones), the predecessor of France Télécom, which substantially contributed to the success of the service. Minitel was a revolutionary innovation both in terms of ergonomics and business model.

Minitel made France a number-one country in the world, its prime time and decline coincided with the boost of the internet among the population. In the mid-1990s 9 million terminals were there in French homes, and were used by approximately 25 million people. Minitel offered a variety of 26 thousand services (including the extremely popular Minitel Rose erotic service). Similar services were introduced in other countries as well, but their popularity never reached that of the French model, and these initiatives were soon given up with the spread of the worldwide web.