The devices were intended to herald a new dawn for BT, placing the former state monopoly at the forefront of the technology boom and providing millions of people with the ultimate in accessible communications.

BT would install 28,000 kiosks to replace the traditional red phone boxes. The equipment would allow people to surf the internet, send e-mails and even make the odd phone call.

But after little more than four years, BT has had to abandon its plans to create the world’s largest public network of its kind, because of the kiosks’ poor commercial performance.

Only 1,300 of the terminals have been installed — and even these may now be under threat.

“BT had planned a large-scale roll-out of public multimedia kiosks, which has been reduced due to performance,” Julian Turner, head of the company’s multimedia solutions division, said in a statement this weekend. “It is no surprise that this is a similar experience to other operators around the world.”

BT insisted it had “no immediate plans” to axe the 1,300 terminals, and declined to provide details of their financial performance. It planned to move some kiosks “to locations with better revenue-earning potential”.

The telecoms giant has been seeking ways to lessen the impact of voice-over-internet calls, which threaten to erode its historical dominance. The scale of that challenge was illustrated last week when France Telecom admitted it had missed key sales targets last year.

The BT kiosks were supplied by Marconi, which itself succumbed to a takeover last year. They were expected to earn the equipment manufacturer £100m in revenues over eight years.

One thing, however, seems clear. By the time it is eventually phased out, the quintessentially English red phone box, dating back to 1924, will have had a lifespan many times longer than its supposedly all-conquering successor.

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