4 ms·

> every household got a Minitel for free People got minitels (available for free) because phone books were eliminated, so even people not interested by the onl

> every household got a Minitel for free People got minitels (available for free) because phone books were eliminated, so even people not interested by the online world (shopping, train/flight reservations, dating "sites", high school diploma results, weather forecast, etc...), would get one in order to be able to look up phone numbers.

wott 9y ago
Phone books were not eliminated. Minitel gave you access to the phone numbers in the whole country, whereas phone books were limited to your department (for foreigners: France is divided in about 100 departments).
- BrandoElFollito 9y ago
  Phonebooks ARE not eliminated. I got one last year (it was a pile outside and one could grab one).
- dorfsmay 9y ago
  Seems correct - weird, I was sure this was the case... They are eliminating the white pages only now: https://www.nextinpact.com/news/98960-les-annuaires-pagesblanches-ne-seront-plus-distribues-a-partir-2018.htm https://www.nextinpact.com/news/98960-les-annuaires-pagesbla... So it was only hosehold with a minitel that stopped receiving white pages: "les foyers équipés de Minitel ne recevaient plus que les pages jaunes" (Homes with Minitel received the yellow pages only) http://obligement.free.fr/articles/histoire_minitel.php http://obligement.free.fr/articles/histoire_minitel.php
  - bigbugbag 9y ago
    You ll find more about the minitel history here: http://www.inaglobal.fr/telecoms/article/du-minitel-linterne http://www.inaglobal.fr/telecoms/article/du-minitel-linterne
bigbugbag 9y ago
You got it wrong. To get a minitel without paying for it you had to opt out of receiving the local white pages phone book. Minitel costs was marginally recouped by saving on printing and recycling phone books and mostly by paid services. The white pages phone book was still around last year. Also with 6.5 millions minitel owners at peak in 1993 we were far from every household having one.

wott 9y ago

Phone books were not eliminated. Minitel gave you access to the phone numbers in the whole country, whereas phone books were limited to your department (for foreigners: France is divided in about 100 departments).

BrandoElFollito 9y ago
Phonebooks ARE not eliminated. I got one last year (it was a pile outside and one could grab one).
dorfsmay 9y ago
Seems correct - weird, I was sure this was the case... They are eliminating the white pages only now: https://www.nextinpact.com/news/98960-les-annuaires-pagesblanches-ne-seront-plus-distribues-a-partir-2018.htm https://www.nextinpact.com/news/98960-les-annuaires-pagesbla... So it was only hosehold with a minitel that stopped receiving white pages: "les foyers équipés de Minitel ne recevaient plus que les pages jaunes" (Homes with Minitel received the yellow pages only) http://obligement.free.fr/articles/histoire_minitel.php http://obligement.free.fr/articles/histoire_minitel.php
- bigbugbag 9y ago
  You ll find more about the minitel history here: http://www.inaglobal.fr/telecoms/article/du-minitel-linterne http://www.inaglobal.fr/telecoms/article/du-minitel-linterne

bigbugbag 9y ago

You got it wrong. To get a minitel without paying for it you had to opt out of receiving the local white pages phone book. Minitel costs was marginally recouped by saving on printing and recycling phone books and mostly by paid services. The white pages phone book was still around last year. Also with 6.5 millions minitel owners at peak in 1993 we were far from every household having one.