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New WA suburbs named in NBN rollout

The latest WA suburbs earmarked to receive the long-awaited National Broadband Network have been announced, with 79,000 homes in areas surrounding Fremantle, Bassendean and regional centres such as Broome to be targeted for the rollout.

But do not call your internet provider just yet - the government-backed NBN Co says construction will "start between now and September 2016".

In the metropolitan area, Bassendean and suburbs such as Guildford, Beechboro, Eden Hill and Morley are on the list.

In the Fremantle area, the chosen suburbs include Hamilton Hill, Hilton, Beaconsfield and North Lake. In regional WA, Denmark, Esperance, Northam, Manjimup, Katanning and Hopetoun have been chosen.

NBN Co says suburbs close to places where rollout activity has occurred, or will occur soon, are the areas targeted.

Low socio-economic areas are understood to be favoured over more affluent areas.

The latest areas will get a multi-technology mix, some with fibre-to-the-premises and others the more controversial fibre-to-the-node, where the "final mile" to the home uses Telstra's ageing copper network, bought by NBN Co as part of a complex $11 billion deal. Documents obtained under Freedom of Information by Federal Labor MP Alannah MacTiernan and seen by _WestBusiness _ show that NBN Co has no documents about the state of the copper network in Perth, said to be in disrepair in some places.

An NBN spokesman said it would get access to those details if the competition and consumer watchdog approved the deal.