Bradford hospital patients will soon have the world at their fingertips when a state-of-the-art television, telephone and internet service is installed for each bed.

To stave off boredom and keep people in touch with family and friends, each of the 1,200 beds at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital will be kitted out with technology known as T2.

It means patients will be able to make telephone calls from their bedside at any time, as well as receive direct calls.

Friends and relatives will also be able to leave messages on the personal answer machine if the patient is away from their bed, asleep or having treatment. And patients will be able to tune into satellite and terrestrial television and radio stations, access the internet and use e-mail.

David Jackson, chief executive of Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "As well as improving services for patients, this could mean nurses answering 100 fewer phone calls a day on a typical ward, giving them more time to spend with the patients."

The new service will be introduced in autumn next year following an agreement between Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust and Patientline, the company behind the initiative. The cost of installing the new equipment and operating costs, which will be more than £1 million, will be met by Patientline.

The company will recoup the outlay over 15 years through charges to patients for TV and outgoing telephone calls and charges to friends and relatives for incoming calls.

Derek Lewis, chairman of Patientline, said: "A similar system has already been installed in many other hospitals and we have found patients really appreciate the additional choice and convenience of having their own facilities."

Some services will be free and patients can pay for other services by buying a smart card. The service will be free for children and there will be a 50 per cent discount for over-60s. Conventional televisions in day rooms and corridor payphones will still be available.