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The telecoms giant claims that electrical interference from household objects - including televisions, set-top boxes and even Christmas tree lights - can reduce a broadband connection to a crawl.

Faulty or leaky power supplies from the electrical equipment interferes with the "Bell Wire" running around the home, creating excessive noise on the line.

However, BT has been trialling a device called an Interstitial Plate - or iPlate - that will slot into the master telephone socket and largely eliminate the noise, providing

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a significant boost for broadband speeds.

BT Wholesale demonstrated the technology to journalists today at its Gatwick headquarters. It showed how an ADSL connection running at 3.8Mb/sec was reduced to just 700Kb/sec when a nearby fluorescent lamp with a faulty power supply was turned on. When the iPlate was fitted to the master socket, the connection returned to its normal speed.

BT says it's been trialling the device with around 1,000 customers with connection problems and has been very pleased with the results. "We've seen huge increases in speed," claimed Ashley Pickering from BT Wholesale's broadband access solutions team. On average, it makes one and a half megs of difference."

Pickering says he expects the device to be launched within the next few months, with a retail price of around £10. The device can be fitted without the services of an engineer, simply by unscrewing a plate in the master socket and slotting the iPlate in. BT says it expects ISPs to distribute the device freely to customers with connection problems, saving on the expense of support calls and engineer visits.