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The lucky recipient of ADSL connection number 500,000 was apparently a mobile phone outlet in Barking, one Future AC.

Incidentally, the ISP involved was not BT Openworld. Very luckily - or conveniently, for the more cynically minded - the independent ISP easynet sold the connection. BT, of course, has been heavily criticised for its handling of the British broadband rollout, particularly

Alison Ritchie, BT's chief broadband officer, welcomed the milestone. 'The broadband bandwagon is now really gaining momentum, as awareness and demand are fuelled not only by our own intensive advertising and marketing, but also that of other ISPs.'

She also declared the UK to be 'the most competitive broadband market in Europe'.

BT has publicly set itself the target of reaching one million broadband connections by the summer of 2003 and reaching five million by 2006.

The official BT stats for UK broadband coverage read as follows. ADSL equipments has been installed in 1,120 exchanges, which - BT claims - serve more than two thirds of UK homes and businesses. Through the use of the controversial broadband-ometer registration scheme, BT believes it will be able reach 80 per cent of UK households. So far, nine further exchanges are scheduled to be ADSL-enabled by early December.