Let’s start with a little history. In the early 1980’s, France was a pioneer in telecommunication technology. Before the internet, there was the Minitel! Here it is in all its glory:
The Minitel is a 100% French creation. This little monitor that looks like a computer was simply connected to a telephone jack and allowed millions of French people to benefit from online services.
To learn more, here is a good article about its creation.
French Tech for Teens 