In Germany the introduction of a videotex service, Bildschirmtext, run by the German Post Office, will take place in the autumn of 1983. Germany will be the first country to implement an internationally specified videotex service on a large scale. This service will offer a comprehensive set of facilities to offer to a wide spectrum of information providers and users the optimum use of the system. A description of the main facilities and service requirements is accompanied by application examples. These facilities include an enhanced color scheme using a redefinable color lookup table and enhanced graphics for a wide range of applications. The German Post Office will be offering a complete service, not just the communications network. The service will guarantee a minimum level of display capabilities and will provide computer facilities for small information providers, as well as integrate external computers from larger information providers into the system. All users are guaranteed only local telephone calls to the next Bildschirmtext center. Charges for using the system are thus kept to a minimum.