Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy have released a series of maps showing which towns and regions will receive fibre, wireless or satellite technology to hook them up to the $43 billion network.
National Broadband Network factsheet
The so-called NBN is a clear policy difference between the major parties.
The Opposition says it will cancel the network if it wins government.
"The Government has extended NBN Co's fibre coverage objective from 90 per cent to 93 per cent of homes, schools and businesses," Mr Conroy said.
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"That means around 300,000 extra premises will receive optical fibre broadband – which is great news for towns and cities across Australia".
Labor also announced that the NBN offer speeds of 100 megabits per second, claiming internet connections will be 100 times faster than what many people experience today.
Senator Conroy said the mainland rollout of the network would start in the next few weeks with live services starting in regional centres such as Brunswick, Willunga, Townsville, Kiama Downs and Armidale in the first half of next year.
But he could not say when capital city households and business premises would get their connections.
The rollout will take eight years.
Ms Gillard warned Australian jobs would be lost if a coalition government kept its promise and dumped the high-speed fibre network.
"Not building the NBN would effectively export jobs of the future from this country to countries in our region," she told reporters in Perth.
The network aimed to give Australian children a world-class education by giving them a world-class technology, Ms Gillard said.
"It will pay for itself over and over and over again in increased prosperity for this country."
Opposition criticises NBN cost
The opposition is not convinced about the cost, citing estimates that rolling out the network could cost more than $80 billion.
"If that were the case it would represent many times the amount of taxpayers' money spent on pink batts and school halls," finance spokesman Andrew Robb said.
"This is potentially billions of dollars of borrowed money without the slightest regard for taxpayers."
Senator Conroy said the difference between Labor and the coalition on broadband was "stark".
To emphasise his point, the minister brandished a copy of the Liberal Party's website showing an empty page under the topic of communications.
