In 1985 France Télécom earned 620 million francs (approximately million) from Minitel.

2,000 private companies earned 289 million francs (about million) during the year; Libération earned 2.5 million francs (about 0,000) from the service in September.

From its early days, users could make online purchases, make train reservations, check stock prices, search the telephone directory, have a mail box, and chat in a similar way to what is now made possible by the Internet.

In February 2009, France Telecom indicated the Minitel network still had 10 million monthly connections.

The rates depended on the service called; most services were far cheaper than this maximum.

It then paid back part of the sum to the companies operating Minitel servers.

A trial with 1,500 residential telephone customers began in Ille-et-Vilaine in May 1981.

The messageries roses ("pink messages", adult chat services hosted by operators pretending to be receptive women) and other pornographic sites were also criticized for their possible access by minors.

The government chose not to enact coercive measures, however, stating that the regulation of the online activities of children was up to parents, not the government.

The government did, however, levy a tax on pornographic online services.

Payment methods France Télécom charged Minitel users at rates of up to €1 a minute on their monthly telephone bill.