The design and main characteristics of 14-channel dispersion interferometer for plasma profile measurement and control in TEXTOR tokamak are presented. The diagnostic is engineered on the basis of modular concept, the 10.6 microm CO(2) laser source and all optical and mechanical elements of each module are arranged in a compact housing. A set of mirrors and retroreflectors inside the TEXTOR vacuum vessel provides full coverage of the torus cross section with 12 vertical and two diagonal lines of sight, no rigid frame for vibration isolation is required. Results of testing of the single-channel prototype diagnostic and the pilot module of the multichannel dispersion interferometer are presented.