Sky is one of the largest broadband providers in the UK (after BT, to be exact), with over 6 million customers. Sky, BT, TalkTalk and Vodafone all share the same Openreach network, so features like speeds and coverage are more or less the same.
However, Sky is best known for its TV service, which comes with innovations like Sky Q, Sky Glass Smart TVs and pay TV channels.
Overview
Sky offers a range of broadband packages with speeds from 36Mbps to 900Mbps, truly unlimited data, Sky Broadband Hub and 18 month contracts. One time setup-cost applies.
Guarantee Minimum speeds are assured for fibre broadband customers who can claim money back, if the speed drops below the promised speeds.
Sky offers optional Sky Broadband Boost or WiFi Guarantee which includes premium support, WiFi booster and daily line check for an additional fee.
Sky broadband and TV products are generally expensive and its ultrafast broadband is only available in selected areas.
Our exclusive offers include free setup and vouchers worth up to £100.
Sky Broadband Speeds
Standard, ADSL broadband from Sky comes with average download speed of 11Mbps while Sky Superfast fibre broadband offers 59Mbps average download speed. Sky also offers ultra-fast and gigabit broadband with speeds ranging from 145Mbps to 900Mbps.
Superfast speeds are ideal for streaming HD videos & TV shows and sharing connection. Ultrafast speed of 100Mbps+ is recommended for 4K streaming and online gaming on multiple devices.
Sky Broadband Essential Plus
- Essential Plus is ADSL plan which comes with 11Mbps average download speed and 1Mbps average upload speed.
- Essential Plus broadband offers decent speeds for emails, YouTube streaming, browsing and social media.
Sky Broadband Superfast
- Sky broadband superfast comes with 59Mbps average download speed and 16Mbps average upload speed.
- Sky Superfast is great for HD streaming and for connecting 2 – 4 devices.
Sky Broadband Ultrafast and Ultrafast Plus
Ultrafast and Ultrafast Plus plans come with an average download speed of 145Mbps and 500Mbps respectively.
Average upload speeds for Ultrafast and Ultrafast Plus are 27Mbps and 60Mbps respectively.
Sky Broadband Speed test
| Plan | Avg. download speed | Latency |
|---|---|---|
| Superfast 59Mbps |
52.6Mbps | 11ms |
| Ultrafast 145Mbps |
N/A | N/A |
| Ultrafast Plus 500Mbps |
N/A | N/A |
*Actual speeds received during peak times (8-10pm).
Based on the Ofcom report 2021. Lower latency means less lags and good for gaming.
Sky TV and Broadband
Sky offers a wide range of products that include Sky TV, fibre broadband and calls. The bundles allow you to get superfast / ultrafast broadband with Sky TV packs including Sky Sports, BT Sport and Netflix.
Sky has a wide range of broadband plans to add to the TV product that best suits your needs – Essential Plus (11Mbps), Superfast Broadband (59Mbps), Ultrafast (145Mbps) and Ultrafast Plus (500Mbps). Pay As You Go calls included as standard.
Sky TV
Sky is offering TV service via satellite dish and streaming via its new Glass TV. Sky TV is available as packages on its own or as bundles with broadband and phone.
- To watch Sky TV channels, you will need either Sky Q 1TB set-top box or Sky Q 2TB box which can record huge volume of videos online and a set-top box is included in the package.
- If you can buy a new Sky Glass TV, you don’t need a satellite dish to watch Sky TV channels.
- Sky TV comes with the base pack (Sky Signature) which includes freeview channels and exclusive Sky channels.
- Sky Ultimate TV add-on includes Netflix Standard plus various options for watching Netflix movies.
- Additional channels like Sky Sports, BT Sport, Sky Cinema and Sky Kids can be added for extra cost.
- Sky offers Sky Go app which allows you to watch Sky TV on your mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones and laptops.
Sky Q box
Sky Q 1TB box is offered as standard set-top with TV packages for no extra cost. It comes with all popular apps like Netflix, YouTube and Spotify. It can store up to 500 hours of TV shows and can record three TV shows at the same time. It supports Dolby Atmos.
Sky Q 2TB box is compatible with 4K resolution videos, but it comes with hefty upfront cost. It also comes with larger capacity of 2TB.
There are also Sky Q Mini boxes which allow you to watch TV on devices like tablets in any room using WiFi. This add-on comes with additional monthly subscription
Sky Glass TV
Sky launched Sky Glass, a new Sky TV service which can be accessed via broadband and WiFi. Unlike the existing Sky TV, the new Sky Glass does not need satellite dish and set top box but operates using broadband internet connection.
Features
- Includes QLED 4K and HDR ready TV powered by Quantum Dot technology
- Standard (43″), Medium (55″) and Large (65″) screen sizes
- Includes Sky TV packages
- 360° Dolby Atmos® sound system
- Six built-in speakers with a subwoofer
- 3 HDMI v2.1 ports
- Bluetooth 5.0,
- 1 USB C power supply
- A special mounting bracket for fixing it on the wall
- 2 year warranty
Advantages
- No need of satellite dish.
- Sky Glass comes with TV aerial input so you can watch free channels when broadband goes down.
- You can access all streaming services and Sky TV channels
- Netflix is included
- Sky Glass TV with 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos specs is 30% cheaper when compared to similar TV sets
Note:
- Sky Glass TV is entirely based on broadband so download speed of 10Mbps is required for buffer-free HD streaming and download speed of 25Mbps is required for buffer-free 4K streaming
- Monthly cost for Sky Glass TV with standard 43″ TV starts from £13 and Medium & Large size TVs will cost extra.
- Total monthly cost will include the subscriptions of Sky Ultimate and Sky Glass.
- Sky Stream Pucks for multi-room TV streaming will cost extra.
Find out more on Sky Glass TV and subscriptions
Sky TV channels
Sky Signature is the standard TV pack from Sky. It comes with 300+ TV channels that include 70 entertainment, 15 factual, 3 movies, 6 News, 10 music, 4 kids channels etc. Exclusive Sky Atlantic is included. Top Asian and Indian channels are also included for no extra cost.
Sky Ultimate TV
Sky has an add-on package called Ultimate TV. The Sky Ultimate TV Addon is a great choice for TV lovers. It comes with a range of features and benefits including access to all 300 channels of Sky Signature and Netflix. Learn about everything included in this great package so you can decide if it’s right for you.
Features
- Sky Ultimate add-on includes the Sky Signature package with 300+ channels including entertainment, news, documentaries, music, kids and more
- Sky Ultimate also includes the Netflix Standard plan, which you can stream on one device. If you want to watch Netflix in HD or 4K (Ultra HD), you need to subscribe to the Ultimate add-on in HD or UHD. This allows you to stream Netflix movies in HD or 4K on 2 to 4 devices simultaneously.
- With over 500 Sky Box sets, you get even more entertainment and content.
- If your family wants to watch Sky TV in different rooms, you can add Sky’s multi-room feature which is perfect.
- If you’re looking for an enhanced viewing experience, simply add HD or UHD with your Sky Ultimate TV subscription.
- You can also add Sky Sports and Sky Cinema channels as well as BT Sport if you want.
Other Sky TV Add-ons
You can add more channels by subscribing for Add-ons. These TV packs can be added to the base TV subscription (Sky Signature or Sky Ultimate).
Sky offers following TV Add-ons:
- Sports
- Cinema
- Kids
- HD
- Ultra HD
- Multiscreen
- BT Sport (4 BT Sport channels)
- Amazon Prime Video
- Disney+
Sky Sports
Includes Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix as base pack and you have option to add all Sky Sports channels and BT Sport that will cost extra.
Sky Cinema
Includes 14 movie channels that pack 11 Sky Cinema channels. Exclusive movies and more than 1000 movies on demand are available in HD.
Ultra HD & HD
Includes HD and Ultra HD channels, sports in 4K. Watch Netflix Premium on multiple screens simultaneously.
Sky Broadband Hub
Sky Broadband Hub (aka Sky Q Hub 2) is the standard router offered with all Sky broadband packages – Sky Essential Plus, Sky Broadband Superfast, Sky Ultrafast and Sky Ultrfast Plus. It is a dual band router that can connect 64 devices simultaneously.
Specification
- Model: SR203
- Built-in ADSL /VDSL2 /G.fast compatible modem
- 802.11 a/n/ac WiFi
- Dual band router (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands)
- Four gigabit Ethernet ports (LAN)
- 2 WAN ports
- Can it handle ultrafast fibre speeds? – Yes
- Maximum speeds – 2Gbps
- VoIP connectivity – yes
- Number of antennas – 8
- Dimensions: 25.5 x 6.3 x 16.5 cm
- Cost: Free with Sky broadband (usually costs around £75)
Sky WiFi Guarantee
Sky broadband packages with Sky WiFi Guarantee include Sky Broadband Hub + Sky Broadband Booster (SE210 / Booster 4). Sky WiFi Guarantee or Sky Broadband Boost is an optional add-on that comes with following features:
- Minimum guaranteed wifi speed of 3Mbps or refund
- Free mobile data boost (2GB) for Sky Mobile accounts in the event of a broadband outage
- Free engineer visits at flexible hours.
- Daily line/speed checks and timely fixes.
- Sky Broadband Buddy app manages wifi settings, screen time, and more.
Sky Broadband Booster
Specification
- Model: SE210 or Booster 4
- 802.11 a/n/ac WiFi
- Singe band (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands)
- One gigabit Ethernet port (LAN)
- WPS button
Extras
Sky Broadband Boost
Sky broadband boost will cost £5 extra a month. Additional features that you get are:
- Guaranteed WiFi speeds in every room, or you can request a refund for your Sky Broadband Boost subscription.
- You can arrange free engineer visits to fix speed issues at a time that suits you
- Your broadband lines get daily checks to ensure the connection is hassle free
- During broadband drop outs, you get free 2GB mobile data on your Sky Mobile account
- You get Sky Broadband Buddy app to manage family’s TV screen time, Sky Hubs and unlimited number of devices.
Sky Broadband Shield
This online protection feature is added to all Sky broadband packages for no extra cost.
It includes:
- Parental controls to manage the access based on three age rating settings.
- Block or allow the websites
- Basic level protection from malware, phishing and viruses
- Safe search settings with search engine results
Public WiFi
Sky offers free WiFi access to its broadband customers through its Cloud Public WiFi hotspots across the UK. Customers can use an app installed on their mobile devices to connect to the nearest hotspot to surf the Internet.
Customer Service
According to the Ofcom reports, Sky has a strong reputation for excellent customer service and a reliable internet service with very few consumer complaints. Sky topped both broadband and landline customer service in the 2022 survey.
In the latest report, Sky received two perfect ratings from Ofcom. Few broadband customers had any reason to complain, while many more were satisfied with the speed of service. However, the call wait time was slightly longer at 2.17 minutes.
- Satisfied Sky broadband customers – 84% (ranks 2nd among major providers)
- Satisfied Sky phone customers – 79% (ranks 2nd)
- Number of complaints per 100k customers – 21 (ranks 2nd)
- Average call waiting time – 2.17 minutes
Sky’s positive reports leave no doubt about the high standard of care they provide. Sky performance was better than the industry average each year in the survey. They were praised for their exceptional complaint handling . They also quickly help customers with a complaint when resolving the issues.
Sky Customer Support
Customers have several ways to contact Sky customer service. They can use email, Facebook Messenger and Live Chat to contact Sky’s customer service located in the UK. Alternatively, they can also contact Sky via text message.
Customers can also contact Sky’s customer service by phone, which is free from Sky landlines. Customers can also dial 03 customer care number from their mobile phones to avoid costly rates.
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