High technology will hit British high streets in March when email - until now the preserve of computer users - becomes available to the wider public.

British Telecom plans to open 2,500 multi-media phone booths, complete with screens, that will enable users to get a free email address and collect and send messages over the Internet. The screens can also be used to surf the Internet and undertake e-commerce transactions such as online shopping, and other interactive services such as home banking.

Mr John Swingewood, director of BT Internet Services, said: "The booths will mean that anyone in the UK can have an email address. They will bring all the benefits of the Internet to the general public." Call rates are likely to be set at 1p above local tariffs and users will be able to send messages within minutes of the registration process.

Railway and underground stations, motorway service stops and shopping malls, are likely to be early sites.