BT is to launch a new marketing drive in an attempt to double the number of people signing up to its high-speed broadband internet services.

The company said it would spend �1m a day between 22 September and 2 October to advertise the potential of broadband.

BT said it aimed to have one million broadband users by next summer, and wanted to increase the average number of people signing up to the service from 12,000 to 24,000.

A �33 million campaign designed to kick start the broadband market is likely to benefit all operators offering ADSL services

Bill Allan, Thus chief executive

The marketing push will be followed by a �23m campaign to specifically promote BT Broadband, the no-frills direct-access internet product being offered by BT Retail which is separate from the BTopenworld internet service provider.

BT Retail said it hoped to have 500,000 users of the BT Broadband service by next summer.

The company also announced that Carphone Warehouse will become the first High Street retailer to sell BT Broadband.

Commitment

"BT's intensive TV campaign is further evidence that broadband is clearly at the top of our agenda," said Pierre Danon, chief executive officer of BT Retail.

"The sheer scale of what we are doing should leave no one in any doubt of the seriousness of our intent to put broadband at the heart of BT and be the flag-bearer for the industry in the government's drive to make Broadband Britain a reality.

"This campaign... should help provide all operators supplying broadband in the UK with the launch pad they need to sell their products and services in unprecedented numbers," he added.

Cheaper rivals?

The telecoms firm Thus, which also provides broadband internet access through its Demon brand, said it may benefit from BT's marketing push.

"A �33 million campaign designed to kick start the broadband market is likely to benefit all operators offering ADSL services," said chief executive Bill Allan.

But Mr Allan added that Demon customers would be able to get broadband access, plus other facilities including unlimited e-mail addresses, for less money than BT Broadband customers.

"No frills might be OK for some, but sooner or later all Internet users are going to want to send an e-mail," he said.