Prestel
| Developer | Post Office Telecommunications |
|---|---|
| Key people | Samuel Fedida |
| Type | General-purpose public videotex service |
| Launch date | 1979 |
| Discontinued | 1994 |
| Platform(s) | GEC 4000 minicomputers in a star network configuration with packet-switched connections |
| Operating system(s) | OS4000 operating system supporting BABBAGE high-level assembly language |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Members | c. 95,500 terminals attached at peak |
| Pricing model | Subscription (quarterly) and usage (time spent on system, some pages, some messaging service actions) |
Prestel was the brand name of a videotex service launched in the UK in 1979 by Post Office Telecommunications, a division of the British Post Office. It had around 95,500 attached terminals at its peak, and was a forerunner of the internet-based online services developed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Prestel was discontinued in 1994 and its assets sold by British Telecom to a company consortium.: 146
A subscriber to Prestel used an adapted TV set with a keypad or keyboard, a dedicated terminal, or a microcomputer to interact with a central database via an ordinary phoneline. Prestel offered hundreds of thousands of pages of general and specialised information, ranging from consumer advice to financial data, as well as services such as home banking, online shopping, travel booking, telesoftware, and messaging.
In September 1982, to mark Information Technology Year, the Royal Mail issued two commemorative stamps, one of which featured a Prestel TV set and keyboard. In April 1984, British Telecom won a Queen's Award for Technological Achievement for the development of Prestel.