CANBERRA -(Dow Jones)- Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Friday unveiled a detailed footprint for a planned national high-speed fiber Internet network that will reach 93% of homes and businesses.
The network is a defining policy for Gillard's center-left Labor government ahead of an Aug. 21 election. The main opposition Liberal-National coalition of center-right parties has said it will scrap the planned multibillion-dollar network if elected.
Telstra Corp. (TLS), the country's largest telecommunications company by revenue and subscribers, agreed last month to participate in the giant network, which could cost up to A$43 billion to build, after a year of wrangling with Australian regulators.
The government's original commitment was to reach 90% of Australian homes and businesses.
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