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With a claimed three in four customers choosing cable over ADSL, where the choice is available, the lion's share of the broadband pie goes to cable. BT expects ADSL to hit the one million mark this summer.

Charles Burdick, MD of Telewest said: 'Cable was not only the first, but is still the consumer's preferred choice.'

Barclay Knapp, CEO at NTL, said: 'Our strategy of offering a choice of speeds at prices which offer outstanding value, coupled with high quality performance, has been hugely successful.'

However, NTL has not revealed how many of these customers are on its 128Kbits/sec, about which it was taken to task by the ASA (advertising standards authority) for describing it as broadband.

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It thought most consumers would expect a 500Kbits/sec service from a product described as broadband.

Oftel's latest broadband market review defines a service 'in excess of 256Kbits/sec' as broadband. Which is handy for BT, as it is to make announcements of its own 256Kbits/sec service soon.

Broadband definitions aside, e-Commerce Minister Stephen Timms was chirpy enough about the figures to say: 'I am delighted that in this short time [the broadband figure] has become one million connections via cable alone. This is a testament to the fiercely competitive market that is fast emerging in the UK, ensuring customer choice, value for money and quality of service.

'The challenge now is to extend this choice to users across the UK, and particularly in rural areas. So that no matter where we base our businesses and make our homes, we can all benefit from the significant benefits that broadband offers.'

A spokesperson for Telewest confirmed our fears that the Minister's closing comments did not indicate the Government's willingness to pump money into cable in order to extend the choice of cable to rural areas.

However BT has called on the Government to pitch in a drive to open up rural exchanges.

Cable networks cover more than 12 million homes in the UK.