THE FRENCH VIDEOTEX SYSTEM MINITEL - A SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF ANATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE

Building an advanced national information technology infrastructure ca n provide a competitive advantage for the countries that develop it as well as for the companies that operate in those countries. This artic le describes the development of the French national videotex system Te letel, also known as Minitel. The factors -technical and political-tha t made Teletel successful are explained and contrasted against other n ational videotex systems that became commercial failures. Political in trigue, technical capability, creative choices, and the deep pockets o f a government-owned utility are all part of the Teletel story.