Almost all of Oxfordshire will have access to high-speed Internet links through normal phone lines by next summer, according to BT.

The company is scrapping the controversial 'trigger scheme', under which 13 of Oxfordshire's rural exchanges had to sign up a minimum number of customers before broadband was introduced.

BT said virtually every home and business (99.9 per cent) would have broadband by summer 2005. The current figure is 83.8 per cent.

BT regional director Patricia Vaz said: "The broadband registration scheme has been a powerful tool for us to match investment to demand and its fantastic success, with the support of local campaigners, has set the way for other countries to follow.

"Now, as we move into more and more rural areas and we have a clearer picture of growing demand, there are real benefits to be gained through a planned roll-out."

The timetable for the conversion of the 13 Oxfordshire telephone exchanges - Bletchington, Cholsey, Eynsham, Great Tew, Hook Norton, Kingham, Middleton Stoney, Nuneham, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Stratton Audley, Sutton Courtenay, Tackley, and Upper Heyford - will be announced in detail by the end of June.

Hugo Pickering, of campaign group Oxfordshire Rural Broadband, said BT's move was expected.

He said: "They have to do something to keep their market share.

"We are putting a service into the Wychwoods which includes a community element - free local phone calls and community security cameras, plus links to keep an eye on older people at home - so I don't think it will jeopardise our service."

But he said the move could prevent other communities from starting such schemes.

The Wychwoods service was launched on Saturday by Witney MP David Cameron after BT refused to put in a connection.

The Co-op store in Milton-under-Wychwood is the centre for the system, providing wireless transmission to local users with masts to pick up the link.

The network covers the Wychwoods, Bruern, Lyneham, Kingham, Churchill, Cornwell, Fifield and Idbury.