Ministerial attempts to highlight the spread of broadband services in rural areas amount to no more than spin, the Conservatives have said.

Shadow trade secretary Tim Yeo said the government was heading for "yet another failure".

He was speaking as figures revealed that the number of homes and businesses in the UK with a broadband internet connection passed the two million mark.

E-commerce minister Stephen Timms and rural affairs minister Alun Michael confirmed their aim that every community in the UK, irrespective of location, should have the opportunity to access affordable broadband from a competitive market.

"Broadband has a great deal to offer to all communities across the UK - whether rural or urban. Government is committed to seeing everyone in the UK given the opportunity to enjoy the advantages new technology can bring," said Timms.

Michael added: "Broadband access is even more important in those rural areas where remoteness and distance are real issues because it can make an enormous difference."

The high speed internet connections are regarded as vital for helping businesses make the most of e-commerce, and also offer enhanced services for consumers.

Figures based on information from network operators now suggest that an estimated 35,000 new homes and businesses are connecting every week.

But while the services are readily available in urban areas, the expense of upgrading equipment in rural areas has meant that many are missing out.

And Yeo said that by highlighting the rising number of subscriptions "ministers are trying to spin themselves out of yet another failure".

"Only a couple of weeks ago a report by the Countryside Agency, a government quango, said that restricted access to broadband was 'putting rural businesses and residents at a disadvantage' and there was a 'widening digital divide'," he noted.

"However, the government would have you believe that they have performed miracles in providing rural communities with access to broadband - but sadly, the truth is they have failed to date.

"Rural communities do not want more spin from this government.

"Providing broadband to rural areas is incredibly important and the government should be concentrating on doing the job properly, not spinning yet another tale to residents of the countryside."

Yeo added that ministers were "unwilling to take practical action to address the disadvantages which rural businesses suffer".

But while rural broadband remains controversial, across the country the service appears to be proving increasingly popular following a significant reduction in prices.

"Oftel research shows that many broadband connections are people upgrading from narrowband, as they recognise the benefits of fast, always-on Internet access," explained the director general of telecommunications, David Edmonds.

"It took two years to reach one million connections, but only seven months to reach two million, as increased competition and lower prices have boosted connection rates."