There are six mutually incompatible analogue text telephone protocols in Europe alone. The service provides for text calls between mobile handsets, and between mobile handsets and stationary text telephones. The Mobile TextPhone service is performed by switches in the GSM network. Mobile TextPhone calls are conducted as data calls in GSM networks. The Mobile TextPhone switches handles call setup and simultaneously interprets between the different text telephony protocols transparent to the subscribers.
Subscribers can call anyone in Europe without having to worry about text telephony protocols.
The Mobile TextPhone service is easy to integrate in GSM networks. The first Mobile TextPhone service was launched in May 1998 by the Swedish operator Europolitan. The service has since then had no downtime - proving that the service fulfills the high standards of telephony. The Mobile TextPhone service was 1998 rewarded first prize as Best Service of the Year for Disabled People by the Swedish Ombudsman for Disabled People and the biggest trade and industry newspaper Dagens Industri. The same year, Nokia appointed Aspiro Mobile TextPhone Best Developer of the Year.