THE builder of the $37.4 billion broadband network is blaming a lack of workers for missing a mid year target.
NBN Co says it will pass up to 151,000 fewer premises by June 30 than it forecast last October.
Chief executive Mike Quigley is disappointed with the delay in the short term rollout.
NBN Co had forecast in its 2012 Corporate plan that high speed fibre optic cable would pass 341,000 premises (286,00 existing premises and 55,00 new homes) by June 30.
Now it says it will be between 190,000 and 220,000.
"The problem is we are just not seeing the ramp up of construction workers on the ground that would be needed to deliver these targets," Mr Quigley said in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Quigley said NBN Co would directly manage the fibre rollout in Northern Territory, with the contractor Syntheo to focus on Western Australia and South Australia.
Syntheo, a joint venture between Lend Lease and Service Stream, had yet to connect anyone in those three regions in the past 20 months.
NBN Co and its construction partners will train extra specialist telecoms workers to recover the lost time.
Mr Quigley said the delay in the short term would not affect either the cost or the finishing time of the project, June 2021.
"NBN Co remains on track to deliver fast, affordable and reliable broadband to every Australian by 2021 as set out in our corporate plan," he said.
NBN Co is charged to deliver high speed broadband cable to 93 per cent of Australian homes, schools and businesses by June 2021.
The remainder will receive broadband services via either fixed wireless or satellite technology by 2015.
The network builder also announced Siobhan McKenna will replace Harrison Young as its chairman.
Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said NBN Co had used the turmoil in the government ranks to slip its forecast downgrade under the radar.
"NBN Co CEO Michael Quigley has cynically used Labor's latest leadership crisis to 'take out the trash' and avoid scrutiny of this announcement," Mr Turnbull said in a statement on Thursday.
It was very unlikely the network builder would stick to its long-term rollout schedule, he said.
"The coalition is justifiably sceptical of these claims and the timing of this announcement shows that the NBN Co is attempting to minimise scrutiny of it."
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