Property industry groups are calling for the government to provide more details on the US$35.7 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) deal specifically affecting property developers.

So far, it was confirmed that NBN Co. will pay for the installation of the high-speed fiber optic infrastructure for new property development while developers will take care of the costs of installing the pipes that will come with the fiber. The NBN rollout will begin starting January 1 although other important details of the deal have not yet been released.

A source close to the NBN rollout told The Australian that there were concerns over the possibility that developers may be required to build in extra capacity for future network extensions thus increasing costs.

A spokeswoman for NBN Co. said that pit and pipe infrastructure costs would depend on various factors, including contractor pricing, the size of the development and the distance. "Indicative costs according to the development industry state the approximate cost of installing pit and pipe infrastructure is $500 per premise. NBN Co is not aware that pit and pipe infrastructure would cost more than this," she said.

Meanwhile a spokeswoman for the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, said in a statement that details of arrangements for the provision of fiber in new developments by NBN Co were currently being finalized."These details will be announced shortly and this will give certainty to developers ahead of January 1," she said.