NBN announces another 400 towns and suburbs will be added to network by late 2017

Updated

The builders of the National Broadband Network (NBN) have announced a list of the next 400 cities, suburbs and towns planned for the network's rollout.

NBN Co says almost two million homes should be connected by late 2017.

Construction under the plan is due to begin in mid-2016 with the network expected to be up and running 12 to 18 months later.

NBN Co chief executive Bill Morrow said the company was taking a new approach that used multiple technologies.

"Our objective is by 2020 to get every home, every business connected to the NBN," he said.

"In order to do that in that short of a timeframe, we have to use a variety of technologies that takes advantage of the different infrastructure that's across the country today.

"This is a bit of a learning process as we go. This is the first time this has been done in Australia.

"When we look at the next 19 months of the schedule we've given, we've factored in all of the trials, all of the process improvements and technology understanding that we have to be able to put this forecast out there."

Find out how the NBN rollout is progressing with this interactive map

FTTP approach possible for some homes, Morrow says

Mr Morrow said a fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) alternative could be possible in a number of homes where copper was not in a suitable condition for the fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) approach.

FTTP was the former Labor government's approach to the NBN and provides ultimately faster speeds, although the Coalition's FTTN network would be cheaper and completed faster.

"I wouldn't say it's going back to any original plan, but we would look at alternative technologies to see which is the best solution for that given neighbourhood," Mr Morrow said.

He said building FTTP in some places would put pressure on the project's costs, but said he believed they would stay within the $29.5 billion equity funding envelope.

"This is a very expensive project and with so many uncertainties and new trials being formed, we anticipate some change," he said.

Mr Morrow said rolling out the project in the most economical manner was "sensible for everyone since it is our taxpayer money".

Currently about 300,000 Australian homes and businesses are connected to the NBN.

Topics: internet-technology, telecommunications, computers-and-technology, information-and-communication, australia

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