Sky Broadband Review
Are your considering switching to Sky broadband in 2021?
This Sky broadband review includes results from the Ofcom service quality report which looks at broadband reliability and customer service across UK broadband providers.
Sky is one of UK’s most popular Internet Service Providers (ISP) and offers broadband speeds ranging from 11Mb – 145Mb.
When switching to Sky Broadband, you have the option of bolting on a TV package, phone talk-time package as well as their mobile phone service.
Sky is one of the leading providers of TV and broadband packages and is a good choice if you’re wanting to consolidate your broadband and TV services to one provider.
The price you pay for Sky Broadband includes the phone line rental and they will take over your existing phone line (except if your phone line is with Virgin Media). Virgin Media runs their own network therefore you will need to contact them to cancel the broadband.
If you’re currently on a Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) broadband service, you will also need to contact your existing provider to cancel.
Sky has a “switch-squad” that is dedicated to handling the whole transfer from your existing broadband provider. They will contact your provider, cease your contract and move the phone line across without you having to lift a finger.
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Best Sky broadband packages in April 2021
Sky Package | Speed | Contract | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Essential Broadband | 11Mb | 18 Months | £25 | View Sky Broadband Deal |
Superfast Broadband | 59Mb | 18 Months | £26 | View Sky Broadband Deal |
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb | 18 Months | £35 | View Sky Broadband Deal |
Broadband & Sky TV | 59Mb | 18 Months | £42 | Sky Broadband & TV Deal |
Broadband, Sky TV & Netflix | 59Mb | 18 Months | £45 | Sky Broadband, TV & Netflix |
Broadband, Sky TV & Sky Sports | 59Mb | 18 Months | £64 | Broadband, TV & Sky Sports |
Sky TV Only + Netflix | N/A | 18 Months | £27 | Sky TV & Netflix Deal |
Is Sky broadband any good?
Sky is a sound and trusted broadband and TV provider with a proven track record in providing good customer service.
With Sky you are able to save money by consolidating all your entertainment and communications services through Sky’s range of Broadband, TV and mobile phone bundles. You can gradually migrate your services to Sky as and when you are out of contract with your existing provider.
“A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world.”
As with every other Internet Service Provider, you will find plenty of good and bad reviews online. To help clear this muddy water, we have based this Sky broadband review on results from the latest Ofcom (Office of communications) broadband and telecoms report published in August 2020.
Number of customer complaints
Compared to other broadband providers such as Post Office, BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Virgin Media, Sky had the fewest broadband complaints (21 per 100k subscribers compared to an average of 52).
Source: Ofcom – Comparing customer service Report August 2020
Overall satisfaction with complaints handling
Sky broadband customers were more satisfied with how their complaint was handled compared to other providers. Sky complaints handling satisfaction rating increased from 54% to 62% in 2019 – way above the average of 53%.
Source: Ofcom comparing customer service Report August 2020
Proportion of broadband complaints resolved on first contact
Sky first time resolution increased to 43% in 2019 which was above the industry average of 37%.
The overall increase in the industry’s percentage of broadband complaints completely resolved on first contact was partly attributable to improvements made by Sky. Sky’s increased performance in this area was due to improvements in the way they dealt with broadband issues such as Broadband faults and intermittent connection issues.
Source: Ofcom comparing customer service Report August 2020
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Sky broadband packages
The majority of Sky broadband packages are on an 18-month contract.
Sky Essential (ADSL) Broadband
Sky Essential Broadband package is an intro entry-level package with download speeds averaging around 11Mb. This speed is ideal as a basic broadband for low usage/light activities such as web browsing and checking emails.
Sky Superfast Fibre broadband
Sky Superfast fibre broadband which has an average speed of 63 Mb is more than enough for most online activities including browsing and streaming in a household with multiple users.
Sky Ultrafast Fibre broadband
Sky Ultrafast fibre broadband one of the fastest broadband packages with average download speeds of up to 145Mb and guarantee a minimum of 100Mb.
With Sky Ultrafast fibre broadband, an entire household can stream 4K TV shows, play online gaming, watch Netflix and HD movies, stream high quality music to your laptop, smartphone or any of your wireless speakers comfortably.
Check if this speed is available in your area by entering your postcode into the Sky Broadband Availability checker.
Sky broadband upload speeds
You’ll get an average upload speed of 0.8Mb on Sky’s Essential (ADSL) broadband package. Sky Superfast broadband provides an average upload speed of around 16Mb and their Ultrafast 145Mb package offers upload speeds of around 27Mb.
In the UK, upload speeds of 20Mb or over are considered very good.
Sky broadband Router
You will receive the Sky Q Hub no matter which broadband package you sign up to.
The Sky Q hub comes with 4 Ethernet ports, allow up to 64 devices to connect and has Smart Signal Technology that optimises your wi-fi connection and allow you to create hotpots.
Sky Speed Guarantee
When you sign up for a new Sky broadband package you will be provided with a minimum download speed.
If your broadband speed falls below your minimum download speed for at least 3 days in a row in a 30-day period, you can claim your money back.
Sky Ultrafast broadband guarantees download speeds of 100Mb. If your download speed falls below 100Mb for three consecutive days, you can exit your Sky Broadband and Talk contracts without early termination charges.
Top 6 Broadband Provider Deals
Sky broadband Boost
Shy broadband boost is available on Sky broadband Essential, Superfast and Ultrafast broadband and has the following benefits;
- WiFi guaranteed in every room or your money back
Sky will guarantee you can get at least 3Mbps WiFi in every room or they will give you your money back on your Sky Broadband Boost subscription. You will also get their latest Hub and they will send you WiFi broadband boosters to improve WiFi in every room. - Engineer visits at any time
Normally there is a £15 charge if you need to book an engineer home visit during the evening or weekend. This fee will be waived. - Sky broadband daily line checks
After the two weeks new broadband stabilisation period, daily checks will be run on your broadband line to ensure that there are no issues. If any issue are found, they will send an engineer to investigate. The engineer will not need access to your home so you don’t need to be in. Sky will check every night between 12am and 5am, then text you if they are sending an engineer and then again when the fault is fixed. - Free extra Mobile data for any outages
If you have Sky Mobile you will enjoy this benefit. Sky will add 2 GB of data will be added to your Sky Piggybank automatically if your broadband has an outage that wasn’t planned, lasts more than 30 minutes or is between 7am and 11pm. - Sky Broadband Buddy
Sky Broadband Buddy lets you manage each device in your home from an app on your phone or tablet. It allows you to create filters to block access to certain types of websites, set time limits on screen time, stop/pause internet for any device and check online viewing activity.
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Sky Broadband Review FAQs
Sky broadband speed vary from 11Mb – 145Mb. Use the Sky broadband availability checker to see what broadband speed you can get if you are considering switching to sky broadband.
Sky broadband uses the Openreach network to supply their broadband services. Openreach are UK’s largest broadband network covering over 28 million homes and business. Use the Sky Availability Checker here to see what broadband speed you can get in your area.
Sky broadband and TV packages start from around £35 per month (at the time of writing) for Sky 11Mb Essential broadband and basic Sky TV package.
The prices increases depending on the additional Sky TV packages you add onto your subscription e.g Sky Cinema, Sky sports, Sky Entertainment, etc. To find the latest price on a Sky broadband and TV packages, check out the latest Sky Broadband and TV deals.
Standard (ADSL) Sky broadband uses the Openreach network therefore you will need a BT/Openreach phone in order to get Sky broadband.
If you are one of the lucky homes to have the option of Fibre to the Premises (also known as FTTC) you do not need a phone line. Sky’s FTTC broadband package is known as Sky Ultrafast broadband which has speeds starting at a whooping 145Mb. If Sky Ultrafast broadband is available in your area, you can make additional savings by cancelling and saving on phone line rental.
Alternatively, if you do not want a phone line you can check out these alternatives on how to get broadband without a phone line.
Yes you can keep your existing phone number when switching to Sky broadband. There may be odd occasions where this may not be possible but Sky will let you know in advance. Make sure your order Sky before cancelling with your current provider or else Sky will not be able to transfer your number if you cancel with them first.
Most of Sky broadband contracts have a minimum term of 18 Months. If you cancel early, you will have to pay an early termination fee. However, you have the option to downgrade or upgrade your Sky services during the term of your contract.
It takes approximately 14 days to get Sky broadband installed and activated. This time can be significantly reduced if you already have a BT/Openreach phone line at the property.
Sky do not currently have any promo discount codes but they regularly run discount promotions which can be accessed through affiliate links.
Sky do not offer student discounts or promo codes directly but students should check the Sky Unidays page for latest offers and student discounts. Alternatively you can see the latest Sky deals here.
Setting up your new sky broadband hub is simple. Check out this video which shows you how to set up your sky broadband hub.
