France’s Minitel Electronic Terminal Becomes History

This Saturday will mark the end of an era in France when the Minitel will be switched off.

The Minitel was a groundbreaking home electronic terminal, created in 1982, almost a decade before the commercialization of the Internet.

Anchor Marco Werman talks to The World’s Adeline Sire who used to be a faithful Minitel user.

Read the Transcript
The text below is a phonetic transcript of a radio story broadcast by PRI’s THE WORLD. It has been created on deadline by a contractor for PRI. The transcript is included here to facilitate internet searches for audio content. Please report any transcribing errors to theworld@pri.org. This transcript may not be in its final form, and it may be updated. Please be aware that the authoritative record of material distributed by PRI’s THE WORLD is the program audio.

Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman. This is The World. A French electronic antique is about to retire. I’m speaking of the Minitale launched in 1982 and, yes, these days that qualifies as antique. Minitale was a sort of precursor to the internet, a system that allowed users to access information through a home terminal way before the web did that. To this day, Minitale has two million users in France, but on Saturday it goes offline for good. The World’s Adele Sire used to be a faithful Minitale user. Adele, first of all, tell us what the Minitale actually looks like.

Adele Sire: Well, for me it was like the three Bs, you know, big, boxy, and beige, not a beautifully designed object, but sturdy, and, and simple. It was a cube shaped unit, a bit like the first Macintosh computers or a small, basic TV with a sort of fold-out, uh, keyboard. Uh, you would just plug it in and dial [speaking in French] 36-15, symbolic number, to get access to most basic services, and to this day, it’s favored by people who don’t want to use a computer, or don’t want to bother with the internet. But, uh, I do know that there are many of these units stored in attics and basements collecting dust these days.

Werman: Now, people would use it kind of like the yellow and white pages, but there were so many other services that, that we now associate with the internet that were actually accessible on Minitale. I mean, I actually bought train tickets in France on, on Minitale, and I thought it was the greatest convenience in the world.

Sire: Yeah, it was really convenient. It was distributed for free, Marco, by the telephone company. At the time, it was a state run company. And, um, it was an electronic phone book, but you could also, like you said, purchase train tickets, check train schedules, stock prices, read classified ads, all kinds of information. And also, chat online. In fact, dating and X-rated chat rooms, not surprisingly, uh, were the bread and butter of the Minitale.

Werman: Now, I’ve got to say. When I went to France after Minitale came out, I saw all these billboards that would say, “Call 3615 [speaking in French] on the Minitale.” It was kind of like seeing the letters WWW for the first time. In retrospect, France seemed pretty futuristic.

Sire: Yes. This was a ground breaking device, but France never really capitalized on the Minitale even though, in 1982, this was pioneering technology, as you said. The state never managed to export it or to expand its technology. And, of course, the internet took over eventually. So, many say there were many missed opportunities there.

Werman: Now, there may be about six hundred thousand Minitale units out there that will be useless on Saturday. What’s going to happen to them?

Sire: Well, for the units that will be returned, they will be recycled, but, uh, some people I know want to hang on to their units like a collectable item.

Werman: May be valuable some day.

Sire: Maybe not, you never know. And I know that some people are having separation anxiety. I read one post by someone who’s asking for help to disconnect from the Minitale and launch onto the scary internet.

Werman: What about you, Adele? Are you sad to see the Minitale go?

Sire: Well, I haven’t used one in a long time because I’m pretty addicted to the internet myself, but I do feel a tinge of sadness though because it’s really the end of an era and the end of the- the device that could.

Werman: That was Adele Sire. Thanks a lot.

Sire: You’re welcome, Marco.

Copyright ©2009 PRI’s THE WORLD. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to PRI’s THE WORLD. This transcript may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior written permission. For further information, please email The World’s Permissions Coordinator at theworld@pri.org.