La Poste introduces registered email

From November this year, French companies can send registered emails using services of the French postal company La Poste. Consumers will be offered the service during the first half of 2003.

Initially, the new service will be a combination of paper mail and electronic features. The client sends his letter in electronic form to La Poste, which converts it to a paper version and delivers it as such to the recipient. Also the confirmation that the item was received is done via paper mail. The added value of the service is therefore that the client can send registered mail from home.

A second, entirely electronic, form will also be launched during 2003. Both forms will then be offered in parallel. The fully electronic version will include features similar to traditional registered mail such as electronic stamps and signatures.

Annually, 217m registered mail items are sent in France, 84 per cent of which are from businesses.