However, the network's operator, NBN Co, will not begin laying out fibre-optic cables in the area until mid-way through next year.

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced 14 locations across Australia, including Gungahlin, this afternoon that would be among the first to host the network.

The network will provide households with internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second; about 100 times faster than some ADSL lines and thousands of times faster than old-fashioned dial-up modems.

NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley said the sites were chosen based on engineering and construction requirements, network design and the level of existing broadband infrastructure.

"The engagement of local government and the receptiveness of communities to broadband initiatives were also factors taken into consideration," he said.

Gungahlin residents currently suffer slower internet speeds than elsewhere in Canberra as a result of Telstra's efforts to maintain speeds in other parts of the ACT.

The president of the town centre's community council, Alan Kerlin, said today it was very important for us to get onto that NBN list.

"While it's still a little while off, it's certainly a step in the right direction for us," he said.

"We have a situation where, for a lot of the Gungahlin area, it would be impossible to run internet-based businesses because of inadequate download speeds."

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