In a speech on Tuesday, Ms Rowland observed the rollout of the network under the Coalition's model is forecast to be complete by 2020 and the business plan does not contain funding for major upgrades. Loading She said Labor's policy acknowledged "there are realities we cannot undo, whilst knowing that with the application of will and initiative we can try make the best of the NBN and position it for the future". The approach is a stark contrast with the original NBN model launched by the former Labor government 10 years ago, which would have rolled out direct fibre connections for 93 per cent of premises. Long critical of the Coalition's approach, which uses the existing copper-wire network and other technologies, Labor has previously promised to put more people on fibre-to-the-home connections instead of fibre-to-the-node.

With the Coalition's rollout nearing completion and reporting 5 million active connections, Labor will fund free repairs for people on existing fibre-to-the-node connections that have in-home wiring issues linked to dropouts and slower speeds. Ms Rowland described this as a "pragmatic and cost-effective" step. "Some will ask why Labor is taking steps to patch up problems with the copper network it has so vigorously attacked over the past six years. The simple fact is that our priority is improving consumer experience," she said. Senator Fifield said the package was the "final admission the Coalition’s plan to use a range of technologies to see NBN completed six to eight years sooner, and at $30 billion dollars less cost than Labor — has worked". In a statement, he said the policy undermined Labor's criticisms of the Coalition government’s approach to the network since 2013.

"For years we were told by Labor that using a range of technologies, like the rest of the world, was not an option. Today, the Coalition’s policy has become Labor’s policy," he said. Loading Vodafone Australia chief executive Inaki Berroeta welcomed elements of Labor’s package. "I think NBN has been for one reason or another too much on the political agenda. Since everything is done already, the money is committed. We are not in any position that we can turn back to any other position,” he said. A spokeswoman for Optus said the company was encouraged by Labor’s commitments, which partly aligned with comments from the company’s chief executive Allan Lew. On Monday, Mr Lew called the NBN a "ticking time bomb" and said improving customer experience was the priority.