<s>
The	O
Minitel	B-Application
was	O
a	O
videotex	B-Operating_System
online	O
service	O
accessible	O
through	O
telephone	O
lines	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
most	O
successful	O
online	O
service	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2009	O
,	O
France	O
Télécom	O
indicated	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
network	O
still	O
had	O
10million	O
monthly	O
connections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Officially	O
TELETEL	B-Application
,	O
the	O
name	O
Minitel	B-Application
is	O
abbreviated	O
from	O
the	O
French	O
title	O
of	O
Médium	O
interactif	O
par	O
numérisation	O
d'information	O
téléphonique	O
(	O
Interactive	O
medium	O
for	O
digitized	O
information	O
by	O
telephone	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1978	O
,	O
Postes	O
,	O
Télégraphes	O
et	O
Téléphones	O
,	O
the	O
French	O
PTT	O
organisation	O
,	O
began	O
designing	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
telephone	O
company	O
emphasized	O
ease	B-General_Concept
of	I-General_Concept
use	I-General_Concept
;	O
one	O
observer	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
terminal	B-General_Concept
requires	O
slightly	O
more	O
training	O
than	O
a	O
toaster	O
to	O
operate	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
offering	O
a	O
popular	O
service	O
on	O
simple	O
,	O
free	O
equipment	O
,	O
Minitel	B-Application
achieved	O
high	O
market	O
penetration	O
and	O
avoided	O
the	O
chicken	O
and	O
the	O
egg	O
problem	O
that	O
prevented	O
widespread	O
adoption	O
of	O
such	O
a	O
system	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
exchange	O
for	O
the	O
terminal	B-General_Concept
,	O
Minitel	B-Application
owners	O
would	O
only	O
be	O
given	O
the	O
yellow	B-Operating_System
pages	I-Operating_System
(	O
classified	O
commercial	O
listings	O
,	O
with	O
advertisements	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
white	O
pages	O
were	O
accessible	O
for	O
free	O
on	O
Minitel	B-Application
,	O
and	O
they	O
could	O
be	O
searched	O
much	O
faster	O
than	O
flipping	O
through	O
a	O
paper	O
directory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
trial	O
with	O
just	O
55	O
residential	O
and	O
business	O
telephone	O
customers	O
using	O
experimental	O
terminals	O
began	O
in	O
Saint-Malo	O
on	O
15	O
July	O
1980	O
,	O
two	O
days	O
after	O
a	O
13	O
July	O
presentation	O
by	O
Minitel	B-Application
to	O
President	O
Valéry	O
Giscard	O
d'Estaing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
May	O
1981	O
,	O
4,000	O
experimental	O
terminals	O
with	O
a	O
different	O
design	O
were	O
distributed	O
in	O
Ille-et-Vilaine	O
,	O
and	O
commercial	O
service	O
using	O
Minitel	B-Application
terminals	O
began	O
in	O
1982	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
early	O
1986	O
1.4	O
million	O
terminals	O
were	O
connected	O
to	O
Minitel	B-Application
,	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
distribute	O
another	O
million	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1980	O
,	O
Ouest	O
France	O
wrote	O
that	O
Minitel	B-Application
would	O
"	O
separate	O
people	O
from	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
endanger	O
social	O
relationships	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
reduce	O
the	O
opposition	O
from	O
the	O
newspapers	O
,	O
they	O
were	O
allowed	O
to	O
establish	O
the	O
first	O
consumer	O
services	O
on	O
Minitel	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Providers	O
advertised	O
their	O
own	O
services	O
in	O
their	O
own	O
publications	O
,	O
which	O
helped	O
market	O
the	O
overall	O
Minitel	B-Application
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
founded	O
newspapers	O
solely	O
to	O
create	O
Minitel	B-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
France	O
Télécom	O
estimated	O
that	O
almost	O
9	O
million	O
terminals	O
—	O
including	O
web-enabled	O
personal	O
computers	O
(	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
)	O
—	O
had	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
network	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1999	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
used	O
by	O
25	O
million	O
people	O
(	O
of	O
a	O
total	O
population	O
of	O
60	O
million	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
became	O
a	O
great	O
financial	O
success	O
for	O
the	O
PTT	O
,	O
as	O
using	O
the	O
service	O
cost	O
the	O
2022	O
equivalent	O
of	O
30	O
euro	O
cent	O
per	O
minute	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
allowed	O
access	O
to	O
various	O
categories	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
Minitel	B-Application
spawned	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
many	O
start-up	O
companies	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
later	O
dot-com	O
bubble	O
of	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web-related	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1985	O
games	O
and	O
electronic	O
messaging	O
were	O
42%	O
of	O
Minitel	B-Application
traffic	O
,	O
and	O
messaging	O
was	O
17%	O
of	O
traffic	O
in	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Youths	O
would	O
stay	O
up	O
late	O
at	O
night	O
playing	O
text-based	B-Application
online	O
video	O
games	O
on	O
Minitel	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messageries	B-Application
roses	I-Application
(	O
"	O
pink	O
messages	O
"	O
,	O
adult	O
chat	O
services	O
hosted	O
by	O
operators	O
pretending	O
to	O
be	O
receptive	O
women	O
)	O
were	O
unexpectedly	O
very	O
popular	O
,	O
embarrassing	O
government	O
officials	O
who	O
preferred	O
to	O
discuss	O
growing	O
business	O
usage	O
of	O
messaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
and	O
voice	O
charges	O
appeared	O
combined	O
on	O
the	O
monthly	O
telephone	O
bill	O
,	O
with	O
no	O
breakdown	O
of	O
fees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
users	O
 '	O
identities	O
and	O
services	O
were	O
anonymous	O
,	O
Minitel	B-Application
use	O
was	O
high	O
at	O
work	O
where	O
companies	O
paid	O
for	O
telephone	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1985	O
France	O
Télécom	O
earned	O
620million	O
francs	O
(	O
approximately	O
)	O
from	O
Minitel	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
Minitel	B-Application
connections	O
were	O
stable	O
at	O
100million	O
a	O
month	O
plus	O
150million	O
online	O
directory	O
inquiries	O
,	O
in	O
spite	O
of	O
growing	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
Minitel	B-Application
generated	O
(	O
)	O
of	O
revenue	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
channelled	O
by	O
France	O
Télécom	O
to	O
service	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
sales	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
accounted	O
for	O
almost	O
15%	O
of	O
sales	O
at	O
La	O
Redoute	O
and	O
3	O
Suisses	O
,	O
France	O
's	O
biggest	O
mail	O
order	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
Minitel	B-Application
application	O
was	O
Teleroute	O
,	O
the	O
online	O
real-time	O
freight	O
exchange	O
,	O
which	O
accounted	O
for	O
nearly	O
8%	O
of	O
Minitel	B-Application
usage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
1985	O
Minitel	B-Application
users	O
made	O
more	O
than	O
22	O
million	O
calls	O
,	O
up	O
400%	O
in	O
one	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1994	O
they	O
made	O
1,913	O
million	O
Minitel	B-Application
calls	O
,	O
used	O
the	O
system	O
for	O
110	O
million	O
hours	O
,	O
and	O
spent	O
6.6	O
billion	O
francs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
uses	O
were	O
banking	O
and	O
financial	O
services	O
,	O
which	O
benefit	O
from	O
Minitel	B-Application
's	O
security	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
access	O
to	O
professional	O
databases	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
France	O
Télécom	O
mentions	O
,	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
usage	O
,	O
that	O
12	O
million	O
updates	O
to	O
personal	O
"	O
carte	O
vitale	O
"	O
health-care	O
cards	O
were	O
made	O
through	O
Minitel	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
popular	O
service	O
of	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
was	O
the	O
"	O
Annuaire	O
Electronique	O
"	O
;	O
in	O
1985	O
about	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
calls	O
on	O
the	O
network	O
were	O
to	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ads	O
to	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
phone	O
directory	O
were	O
sold	O
by	O
ODA	O
(	O
Office	O
d'Annonces	O
)	O
,	O
today	O
Solocal	O
/	O
Pages	O
Jaunes	O
Groupe	O
in	O
Sèvres	O
France	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1991	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Minitel	B-Application
Website	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
Paris	O
Sony	O
Stores	O
contained	O
already	O
over	O
100	O
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
the	O
3611	O
Minitel	B-Application
Directory	O
is	O
replaced	O
by	O
the	O
online	O
white	O
or	O
yellow	B-Operating_System
pages	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
11	O
February	O
2009	O
,	O
France	O
Télécom	O
and	O
PagesJaunes	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
to	O
cancel	O
plans	O
to	O
end	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
service	O
in	O
March	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
used	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminals	I-General_Concept
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
text-only	B-Application
monochrome	O
screen	B-Device
,	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
a	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
packaged	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
tabletop	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
terminals	O
could	O
display	O
rudimentary	O
graphics	O
using	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
predefined	O
block	O
graphics	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
used	O
the	O
existing	O
Transpac	O
network	O
,	O
but	O
its	O
popularity	O
caused	O
problems	O
for	O
the	O
network	O
's	O
commercial	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
severe	O
disruption	O
in	O
June	O
1985	O
,	O
France	O
Télécom	O
separated	O
business	O
traffic	O
from	O
Télétel	O
,	O
dedicated	O
to	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
connecting	O
,	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
's	O
integrated	O
modem	B-Application
generally	O
dialed	O
a	O
short	O
code	O
number	O
connecting	O
to	O
a	O
PAVI	O
(	O
Point	O
d'Accès	O
VIdéotexte	O
,	O
"	O
videotext	O
access	O
point	O
"	O
)	O
from	O
the	O
subscriber	O
's	O
analog	O
telephone	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
services	O
names	O
were	O
often	O
prefixed	O
with	O
this	O
number	O
to	O
identify	O
them	O
as	O
such	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Billboard	O
ads	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
often	O
consisted	O
of	O
nothing	O
more	O
than	O
an	O
image	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
name	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
3615	O
"	O
number	O
;	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
a	O
Minitel	B-Application
service	O
was	O
being	O
advertised	O
was	O
then	O
clear	O
by	O
implication	O
,	O
similarly	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
"	O
.com	O
"	O
for	O
later	O
web	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
notable	O
example	O
was	O
in	O
the	O
title	O
of	O
the	O
film	O
3615	O
code	O
Père	O
Noël	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
a	O
child	O
attempts	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
Minitel	B-Application
to	O
call	O
Santa	O
Claus	O
,	O
only	O
for	O
the	O
call	O
to	O
go	O
to	O
a	O
local	O
criminal	O
;	O
the	O
Hollywood	O
film	O
Home	B-Application
Alone	I-Application
was	O
accused	O
of	O
plagiarising	O
its	O
plot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
used	O
a	O
half-duplex	O
asymmetric	O
data	O
transmission	O
via	O
its	O
modem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
system	O
had	O
been	O
developed	O
for	O
general-purpose	O
data	O
communications	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
most	O
commonly	O
used	O
for	O
Minitel	B-Application
and	O
equivalent	O
services	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Technically	O
,	O
Minitel	B-Application
refers	O
to	O
the	O
terminals	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
network	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
Télétel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
terminals	O
use	O
the	O
AZERTY	O
keyboard	B-Device
most	O
commonly	O
used	O
in	O
France	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
QWERTY	O
keyboard	B-Device
more	O
common	O
in	O
the	O
English-speaking	O
world	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
early	O
models	O
used	O
an	O
ABCDEF	O
keyboard	B-Device
layout	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
extent	O
to	O
which	O
Minitel	B-Application
enhanced	O
or	O
hindered	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
in	O
France	O
is	O
widely	O
debated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
French	O
university	O
students	O
coordinated	O
a	O
national	O
strike	O
using	O
Minitel	B-Application
,	O
demonstrating	O
an	O
early	O
use	O
of	O
digital	O
communication	O
devices	O
for	O
participatory	O
technopolitical	O
ends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternatively	O
,	O
the	O
French	O
government	O
's	O
attachment	O
to	O
the	O
natively	O
developed	O
Minitel	B-Application
may	O
have	O
slowed	O
the	O
adoption	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
in	O
France	O
;	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
peak	O
of	O
nine	O
million	O
terminals	O
and	O
there	O
were	O
still	O
810,000	O
terminals	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
short	O
term	O
,	O
some	O
resources	O
at	O
France	O
Telecom	O
(	O
now	O
Orange	O
)	O
were	O
dedicated	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Minitel	B-Application
that	O
might	O
have	O
otherwise	O
been	O
focused	O
on	O
Internet	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
France	O
Telecom	O
's	O
focus	O
on	O
Minitel	B-Application
had	O
little	O
or	O
no	O
long-term	O
effect	O
on	O
adoption	O
or	O
development	O
of	O
internet	O
-	O
and	O
web-based	O
companies	O
in	O
France	O
;	O
France	O
ranks	O
roughly	O
equal	O
to	O
the	O
US	O
and	O
Germany	O
in	O
the	O
current	O
penetration	O
of	O
high-speed	O
internet	O
in	O
households	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Belgium	O
:	O
Minitel	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
by	O
Belgacom	O
and	O
delivered	O
services	O
led	O
by	O
Teleroute	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Minitel	B-Application
protocol	O
is	O
still	O
used	O
by	O
some	O
cable	O
TV	O
companies	O
to	O
provide	O
general	O
information	O
to	O
their	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Canada	O
:	O
Bell	O
Canada	O
experimented	O
with	O
a	O
Minitel-like	O
system	O
known	O
as	O
Alex	O
with	O
terminals	O
called	O
AlexTel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
was	O
conceptually	O
similar	O
to	O
Minitel	B-Application
,	O
but	O
used	O
the	O
Canadian	O
NAPLPS	B-Protocol
protocols	O
and	O
North	O
American	O
Bell	O
System	O
RJ-11	O
standard	O
telephone	O
connectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
launched	O
experimentally	O
in	O
the	O
Montreal	O
area	O
,	O
Alex	O
was	O
then	O
launched	O
in	O
most	O
areas	O
served	O
by	O
Bell	O
Canada	O
(	O
primarily	O
Ontario	B-Architecture
and	O
Quebec	O
)	O
with	O
offers	O
of	O
a	O
free	O
trial	O
period	O
and	O
terminal	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telidon	B-Device
was	O
an	O
earlier	O
Canadian	O
text	O
and	O
graphics	O
service	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
technological	O
underpinnings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TeleSampo	O
included	O
not	O
only	O
videotex	B-Operating_System
services	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
many	O
other	O
Ascii-based	O
Value	O
Added	O
Services	O
(	O
VAS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Roughly	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
HPY	O
HTF	O
(	O
now	O
Elisa	O
)	O
launched	O
a	O
videotex	B-Operating_System
service	O
called	O
Infotel	O
(	O
fi	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Germany	O
:	O
"	O
Bildschirmtext	O
"	O
(	O
BTX	O
)	O
that	O
existed	O
between	O
1983	O
and	O
2001	O
is	O
almost	O
as	O
old	O
as	O
Minitel	B-Application
and	O
technically	O
very	O
similar	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
largely	O
unsuccessful	O
because	O
consumers	O
had	O
to	O
buy	O
expensive	O
decoders	O
to	O
use	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ireland	O
:	O
Minitel	B-Application
was	O
introduced	O
to	O
Ireland	O
by	O
Eir	O
(	O
then	O
called	O
Telecom	O
Éireann	O
)	O
in	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rise	O
of	O
the	O
internet	O
and	O
other	O
global	O
online	O
services	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
to	O
mid-1990s	O
played	O
a	O
major	O
factor	O
in	O
the	O
death	O
of	O
Irish	O
Minitel	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minitel	B-Application
Ireland	O
's	O
terminals	O
were	O
technically	O
identical	O
to	O
their	O
French	O
counterparts	O
,	O
except	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
a	O
Qwerty	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
an	O
RJ-11	O
telephone	O
jack	O
which	O
is	O
the	O
standard	O
telephone	O
connector	O
in	O
Ireland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Netherlands	O
:	O
The	O
then	O
state-owned	O
phone	O
company	O
PTT	O
(	O
now	O
KPN	O
)	O
operated	O
two	O
platforms	O
:	O
Viditel	O
(	O
nl	O
)	O
and	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
Nederland	O
(	O
nl	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
difference	O
was	O
that	O
Viditel	O
used	O
one	O
big	O
central	O
host	O
where	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
NL	O
used	O
a	O
central	O
access	O
system	O
responsible	O
for	O
realizing	O
the	O
correct	O
connection	O
to	O
the	O
required	O
host	O
:	O
owned	O
and	O
managed	O
by	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viditel	O
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
7	O
August	O
1980	O
,	O
and	O
required	O
a	O
Vidimodem	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
compatible	O
home	O
computer	O
(	O
one	O
such	O
example	O
was	O
the	O
Philips	B-Device
P2000T	I-Device
which	O
had	O
a	O
built-in	O
Teletext	O
chip	O
)	O
or	O
a	O
television	O
set	O
which	O
could	O
support	O
Teletext	O
;	O
the	O
required	O
equipment	O
itself	O
would	O
cost	O
anywhere	O
between	O
3000	O
and	O
5000	O
Dutch	O
guilders	O
overall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viditel	O
was	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
September	O
1989	O
due	O
to	O
high	O
operating	O
costs	O
and	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
the	O
cheaper	O
and	O
more	O
widely	O
used	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
Nederland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
NL	O
services	O
offered	O
access	O
via	O
several	O
premium	O
rate	O
numbers	O
and	O
the	O
information/service	O
provider	O
could	O
choose	O
the	O
costs	O
for	O
accessing	O
his	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
private	O
networks	O
such	O
as	O
Travelnet	O
(	O
for	O
travel-agencies	O
)	O
and	O
RDWNet	O
for	O
automotive	O
industry	O
,	O
used	O
the	O
same	O
platform	O
as	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
NL	O
but	O
used	O
dedicated	O
dial-in	O
phone	O
numbers	O
,	O
dedicated	O
access-hardware	O
and	O
also	O
used	O
authentication	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
protocol	O
used	O
in	O
France	O
for	O
Minitel	B-Application
was	O
slightly	O
different	O
from	O
the	O
international	O
standard	O
one	O
could	O
use	O
the	O
"	O
international	O
"	O
terminal	B-General_Concept
(	O
or	O
PC	O
's	O
with	O
the	O
correct	O
terminal-emulation	O
software	O
)	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
French	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
possible	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
most	O
French	O
Minitel	B-Application
services	O
via	O
the	O
Dutch	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
NL	O
network	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
price	O
per	O
minute	O
was	O
considerably	O
higher	O
:	O
most	O
French	O
Minitel	B-Application
services	O
were	O
reachable	O
via	O
the	O
dial-in	O
number	O
06-7900	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
tariff	O
of	O
1	O
guilder/minute	O
(	O
approx	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videotex	B-Operating_System
Nederland	O
was	O
eventually	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
parent	O
company	O
behind	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
Nederland	O
was	O
subsequently	O
renamed	O
as	O
Planet	O
Media	O
Group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Teleview	O
system	O
,	O
while	O
similar	O
in	O
concept	O
to	O
the	O
Minitel	B-Application
and	O
Prestel	B-General_Concept
,	O
was	O
unique	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
display	O
photographic	O
images	O
instead	O
of	O
graphical	O
images	O
used	O
by	O
Minitel	B-Application
and	O
Prestel	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Teleview	O
was	O
eventually	O
rendered	O
obsolete	O
by	O
SLIP/PPP	O
-based	O
modem	B-Application
Internet	O
connections	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
South	O
Africa	O
:	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
was	O
introduced	O
by	O
Telkom	O
in	O
1986	O
and	O
named	O
Beltel	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Minitel	B-Application
was	O
introduced	O
later	O
to	O
popularise	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spain	O
:	O
Videotex	B-Operating_System
was	O
introduced	O
by	O
Telefónica	O
in	O
1990	O
and	O
named	O
Ibertex	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ibertex	B-Operating_System
was	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
French	O
model	O
but	O
used	O
the	O
German	O
Bildschirmtext	O
CEPT-1	O
profile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
United	O
Kingdom	O
:	O
The	O
Prestel	B-General_Concept
system	O
was	O
similar	O
in	O
concept	O
to	O
Minitel	B-Application
,	O
using	O
dedicated	O
terminals	O
or	O
software	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
Prestel	B-General_Concept
subscribers	O
only	O
reached	O
90	O
thousand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
United	O
States	O
:	O
In	O
1991	O
,	O
France	O
Télécom	O
launched	O
a	O
Minitel	B-Application
service	O
called	O
"	O
101	O
Online	O
"	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
;	O
this	O
venture	O
was	O
not	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
US	O
West	O
(	O
subsequently	O
Qwest	O
and	O
now	O
CenturyLink	B-Application
)	O
launched	O
a	O
Minitel	B-Application
service	O
in	O
the	O
Minneapolis	O
and	O
Omaha	O
markets	O
called	O
"	O
CommunityLink	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
joint	O
venture	O
of	O
US	O
West	O
and	O
France	O
Télécom	O
provided	O
Minitel	B-Application
content	O
to	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
owners	O
using	O
a	O
Minitel-emulating	O
software	O
application	O
over	O
a	O
dialup	O
modem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
US	O
West	O
's	O
Minitel	B-Application
offerings	O
were	O
charged	O
à	O
la	O
carte	O
or	O
hourly	O
while	O
competitors	O
offered	O
monthly	O
all-inclusive	O
pricing	O
.	O
</s>
