Sky Broadband Review

Sky is recognized as one of the largest media companies globally. While it’s primarily acknowledged in the UK for its satellite TV offering, it’s also a prominent provider of mobile phones, landlines, and broadband.

The company has cultivated a reputation as a premium brand, delivering top-tier entertainment, sports, and movies for those willing to pay. Furthermore, its broadband services enjoy a favourable reputation. Although not the most budget-friendly option, they offer good value for money in terms of speed and reliability.

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Sky Broadband Coverage

Sky utilizes Openreach’s network to provide its broadband services. This network, shared by most major providers, boasts 97% coverage, making it available almost everywhere, with only the most hard-to-reach households unable to connect.

Initially, Sky relied on the same copper wires used for landline telephone services. However, these were later replaced by a faster fibre network (utilized by Sky’s superfast offerings). Despite the upgrade, the last stretch of the connection still relies on copper wires, as the fibre only extends to the cabinet in the street, with copper wires running from the cabinet to the home, consequently affecting connection speed.

On the other hand, Sky’s ultrafast and gigafast services utilize full fibre connections, eliminating the need for copper cabling entirely. This absence of copper contributes to the exceptionally high speeds of up to 900Mbps that Sky and other providers can offer.

How Reliable Is Sky Broadband?

Thanks to Sky’s utilization of the robust Openreach network, service outages are relatively uncommon. In the rare instances when they occur, they are typically resolved swiftly. In my six years of using Sky, I’ve experienced only a handful of outages, and most were brief, lasting only a couple of hours. While I haven’t extensively used Sky broadband for more demanding activities like 4K streaming or online gaming, based on my overall experience, I have confidence in the network’s reliability for various usage scenarios.

For added peace of mind, Sky’s Speed Guarantee ensures that if your speed falls below the guaranteed minimum download speed for three consecutive days within a 30-day period, you’ll receive a refund. Sky provides this speed information during the package signup process, and the Speed Guarantee applies to all of its broadband packages.

How Is Sky Broadband’s Customer Service?

Given Sky’s seamless installation process and outstanding reliability, interactions with its customer service team have been minimal. However, it’s apparent that Sky enjoys a positive reputation for customer service, as indicated by various industry-wide customer reports.

Another valuable measure of a provider’s customer service reputation is Ofcom’s quarterly complaints report, which ranks providers based on the number of complaints received. Sky consistently maintains a remarkably low number of complaints to Ofcom compared to many other broadband providers in the UK. Often ranking alongside EE, Sky performs exceptionally well, registering three or four complaints per 100,000 customers, a notable difference from Virgin Media or TalkTalk, which receive 15 or more complaints. This further underscores Sky’s commitment to customer

Can I Get Just Sky Broadband?

In short, yes you can just get Sky Broadband by itself without signing up for other Sky packages. Sky provides an ultrafast full fibre option through Openreach’s FTTP network, ensuring high-speed connectivity with fibre-optic cables directly to your home. With this type of connection, a copper phone line may not be necessary, provided it’s available at your residence.

The provider extends its superfast offering as a standalone broadband deal. All Sky broadband packages include the option of Sky Broadband Boost and its Wi-Fi Guarantee. This guarantee ensures a refund if you encounter unreliable Wi-Fi in any room.

For those seeking a straightforward and uncomplicated broadband connection suitable for working from home and streaming services like Netflix or Disney Plus, opting for a broadband-only package would be the most fitting choice.

How Often Does Sky Broadband Increase In Price?

In April 2023, Sky implemented a price increase, resulting in an additional £67 per year for nearly all customers, on average. This adjustment, communicated well in advance and exceeding the 30-day warning requirement, represented an average increase of 8.1%. While larger than Sky’s previous years’ announcements, it remained notably smaller than the price hikes from most other major broadband providers.

Some customers faced hikes of nearly 15%, emphasizing that, while higher than anticipated, the increase was comparatively moderate. Notably, Sky stands out among broadband providers by not incorporating annual inflation-based price increases in its terms and conditions. This unique approach allows customers a 30-day window to terminate their contract early without incurring cancellation fees. Although this option hasn’t been exercised, the flexibility is appreciated.

While Sky indicates in its terms and conditions that TV prices may increase up to 10% once every 12 months, this does not extend to its broadband services. Instead, the terms specify that “Prices may increase and services may vary, including during the minimum term.”