More copper needed for NBN rollout demand

The head of the national broadband network says the company supplying its new copper will need to ramp up production to meet future rollout needs.

CEO Bill Morrow told a senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday that they have enough at the moment to continue delivering fibre to the node and nothing is in jeopardy.

But Sydney company Prysmian know they need to ramp up their supply and are working on it, he said.

Mr Morrow said so far NBN has not replaced any Telstra copper between the node and home while deploying the technology.

And he has been delighted at the condition of the existing copper they've seen so far.

Fibre to the node technology was launched last month, with more than 2000 premises ready in Belmont, NSW.

During the hearing Palmer United senator Zhenya Wang made a pitch to Mr Morrow to use more Australian companies and minds in deploying satellite technology.

But the CEO conceded the country doesn't have the expertise and experience that companies in the US do.

He nominated a company in California which has been building satellites for space exploration.

Senator Wang replied it would be good to start somewhere.

"Maybe one day we can be launching satellites ourselves," he said.

Mr Morrow agreed, saying: "I would hope so. Let's keep that ambition senator."

On October 1, NBN launched the first of two satellites - Sky Muster - with Australians in rural and regional areas to benefit in the first half of next year.

There was later heated scenes when Senator Stephen Conroy made a critical remark about Mr Morrow's past corporate history.

"People died last time you were in charge of something," he shouted at the CEO during a discussion about the rollout on the NSW Central Coast.

Mr Morrow previously oversaw an American company, which later had two of its pipelines explode, killing nine people.

Committee chair Linda Reynolds described the remark as unparliamentary, inflammatory and highly insulting, and asked Senator Conroy to apologise.

He initially refused, but did so after a short private meeting between committee members.

Mr Morrow also agreed to apologise to Labor's Deborah O'Neill, who had been asking questions about her region at the time.

"I withdraw. I would never speak down to a senator," he said.