Almost all television sets sold in Europe since the early '80s have built-in WST-standard teletext decoders as a feature.

Zenith in the US also included built-in WST teletext decoders in their higher-end models of TV sets, such as their Digital System 3 line throughout the 1980s.

Also, Dick Smith Electronics offered through their American distributors a WST teletext decoder in the form of a set-top box, which was sold as a kit.

In the early 1980s a number of higher extension levels were envisaged for the specification, based on ideas then being promoted for worldwide videotex standards (telephone dial-up services offering a similar mix of text and graphics).

New features of Level 2.5 teletext: The system has not been widely implemented, with only a handful of European state broadcasters supporting it.

One of the problems with Level 2.5 is that it often takes several transmission cycles before the higher resolution items show on the screen.

In order to watch Level 2.5 teletext, a rather recent television set with a special decoder chip is required.