Sky Broadband

SKY UK limited

With its range of comprehensive TV and now broadband packages, its not hard to see why Sky has millions of customers up and down the country. But how do they stack up against other big name providers like Virgin and TalkTalk? Let’s take a look.

Overview

Average Download Speeds	11Mbps – 900Mbps
Average Upload Speeds	1Mbps – 900Mbps
Broadband Type	ADSL & Fibre (FTTC/FTTP)
Home Phone-line Rental	Yes
TV/Entertainment Packages	Yes
Cost	from £26.00 per month

Broadband speeds and packages

Sky offers a wide range of broadband types and packages:-

Essential Plus Broadband (ADSL)

Sky’s base package, ‘Essential Plus’, is standard ADSL connection and offers average download speeds of 11Mbps.

Because ADSL relies solely on copper telephone wires to deliver your broadband, an active phone line will be required for this type of connection. Thankfully, Sky includes line rental in the cost of the package.

ADSL – although the slowest type of broadband available – would still be suitable for an individual or small household who use the internet for basic activities such as checking emails, online banking, and streaming the occasional TV show on Netflix.

However, it’s worth noting that Sky charges more for an ADSL connection than they do for a partial-fibre (FTTC) one, so unless you live in an area that can only get ADSL, you’d be better off opting for one of the faster packages.

Superfast broadband (FTTC)

Next up are Sky’s ‘Superfast Broadband’ options, with average download speeds of either 36Mbps or 59Mbps. ‘Superfast’ broadband – also known as ‘Fibre to the Cabinet’ (FTTC) – means fibre optic cables are routed from the telephone exchange to the cabinet. Copper telephone wires are then used to connect your broadband from the cabinet to your home. So you’ll still need a phone line, but again, this is included in the cost of either package.

Because superfast broadband uses less copper wiring than ADSL, you can expect a faster and more reliable connection.

To work out whether either of these packages would be suitable for you, it’s a good idea to allocate 10Mbps for each person in the household connecting to your broadband at the same time.

To find out more about broadband speeds and selecting the right package, check out our guide.

Ultrafast Broadband (FTTP)

Although only available to around 20% of the UK at the moment, Sky does offer a handful of ‘Fibre to the Premises’ (FTTP) full fibre options. Compared to ‘Fibre to the Cabinet’ (FTTC) broadband, full fibre uses only fibre optic cables – no copper wires – to deliver your broadband connection, so you also won’t need a phone line. It is also the fastest and most reliable type of broadband available in the UK.

The two options available on this tier – ‘Ultrafast’ and ‘Ultrafast Plus’ – offer average download speeds of 145Mbps and 500Mbps, respectively. Either of these packages would be a great choice for a standard household or larger family, where numerous devices are connecting to the internet at once, and engaged in bandwidth-heavy activities such as streaming films or TV shows in UHD 4K or gaming online.

Gigafast Broadband (FTTP)

Like the two previous packages, Sky’s ‘Gigafast Broadband’ package uses FTTP technology to offer download speeds of a colossal 900Mbps.

Again, availability for this type of broadband is limited at the moment, so use our postcode checker to see if you can get it.

The gigabit option from Sky is aimed towards hardcore internet users who want to make gaming, streaming, and browsing as fast and as reliable an activity as possible.

Upload speeds

Upload speeds determine how fast you’re able to copy or send content – such as photos or videos – from your device to apps like YouTube or Instagram, other devices (e.g., sending memes over Whatsapp) or cloud storage.

Sky’s average upload speeds for its broadband packages are listed below:-

Package	Average Upload Speeds
Essential Broadband	800Kbps
Superfast 35	9Mbps
Superfast	16Mbps
Ultrafast	27Mbps
Ultrafast Plus	60Mbps
Gigafast	100Mbps

TV Bundles

Sky is, without question, best known for its array of TV-subscription services, with the broadest range of TV channels and content available in the UK.

When it comes to bundling a TV package with your broadband (and home phone), there are a number of options available. In addition to the 250+ channels you get included with your base Sky TV plan – you can also customise your plan to include specific channel packs – such as Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Sky Cinema – as well as monthly subscription services like Disney+ and Netflix.

In terms of how you’d like your TV broadcast to be received, there are a couple of options.

Sky Q

The Sky Q is a set-top box that uses a satellite dish – installed by a Sky engineer outside your home – to deliver your TV service.

Sky Q Mini Box

The Sky Q Mini Boxes are small devices that allows you to extend your Sky viewing into various other rooms within your home on the same subscription.

Sky Glass

If you’d rather opt for Sky TV without having a satellite dish installed, you can go for Sky Glass. This is a 4K TV with Sky TV built-in. So, instead of delivering your TV broadcast via satellite, you’ll receive Sky TV over Wi-Fi.

Home phone packages

Sky includes phone line rental as standard on all its broadband packages. If you’d like to use your home phone to make calls, they also offer a number of plan options which can be bolted on to your broadband deal:-

Package	Includes	Price per month
Sky Talk Evenings & Weekends Extra	inclusive calls to UK landlines and mobiles after 7pm Monday to Friday. Anytime Saturday and Sunday	£4.00
Sky Talk Anytime Extra	Inclusive calls to UK landlines and mobiles.	£8.00
Sky Talk International Extra	Inclusive calls to UK landlines and mobiles. International calls to 50 popular destinations.	£12.00

Router

All new Sky customers will receive the same free router – the Sky Broadband Hub.

The Sky Hub allows you to connect up to 64 devices at once, with 8 antennae to ensure your Wi-Fi is connected and performing at its peak regardless of where you are in the home. It also has four gigabit Ethernet ports, so any wired devices you choose to connect will benefit from optimal speeds.

Installation

Depending on the package you choose, set-up fees may apply. There are no set-up costs for either the FTTC or FTTP fibre broadband packages. If you decide to get the basic ADSL deal, however, a £10 set-up fee will be applied.

Additionally, if you opt for a broadband with TV bundle, you can expect set-up costs between £20 – £29.95. Occasionally, Sky waives their installation fees, so if this an extra cost you’d rather not have to consider, it’s worth keeping an eye out for when a deal becomes available. To find out more about broadband providers with no upfront fees, check out our guide here.

Sky estimates it will take around 10 days from sign-up to get you fully online. If you need a phone line installed, the activation date for your broadband may be slightly delayed as Sky will need to make an appointment for an engineer to come out and install the line.

Once your broadband has been activated, you can self-install your router. Sky has a comprehensive how-to guide on its website on how to do this.

Customer service

In a customer service report released by Ofcom in May 2022, Sky garnered an overall customer satisfaction score of 84%.

Sky Broadband’s customer service team is available on 0333 7591 018 and is available 7 days a week from 8:00am – 9:00pm. The team is also available over live chat between 7:00am and 11:00pm.

If you’re experiencing connection issues and would rather try and resolve the problem yourself before calling, Sky features a range of troubleshooting guides on their website.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Choice of packages and availability:-

Sky is a provider that offers a comprehensive list of broadband packages as well as other telecom services such as TV and home phone, to allow you to bundle and save. Additionally, because Sky operates on the BT Openreach network, the chances you’ll be able to access much of what they have to offer is much higher than some other providers.

Cons

Expensive if you don’t bundle

If you decide you’re only really after a solid broadband connection and nothing more, Sky may not be the best choice for you. Although they do have a wide range of broadband options available, the prices for just these packages alone are considerably higher than a lot of other providers on the market.