Technology
Minitel used terminals consisting of a text based screen, keyboard and modem. Simple graphics could be displayed using a set of predefined graphical characters. Aftermarket printers were available.
When connecting, the Minitel integrated modem generally dialed a special number connecting to a PAVI (Point d'Accès VIdéotexte, "videotext access point"). The PAVI transmitted information to the servers of the appropriate company or administration using the Transpac X.25 network.
In France the most common dial number was "36 15", while "36 17" was used by more expensive services. Minitel services names were often prefixed with this number to identify them as such. Thus the "36 15" prefix had the same meaning as the ".com" suffix now has for Internet web sites; billboard ads at the time often consisted of nothing more than an image, a company name, and a "36 15" number, the fact that a Minitel service was being advertised was then clear by implication.
Minitel used a half-duplex asymmetric data rate via its modem. It downlinked at 1200 bit/s and uplinked at 75 bit/s. This allowed fast downloads, for the time. The system, which came to be known as '1275' was more correctly known as V.23. This system was developed solely for Minitel and its clones around the world.
Technically, Minitel refers to the terminals, while the network is known as Teletel.
Minitel terminals use the AZERTY keyboard most commonly used in French (as opposed to the QWERTY keyboard more common in the English-speaking world).
Read more about this topic: Minitel
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