Is Sky broadband any good?

We have reviews and ratings from 31 verified customers of Sky broadband.

We surveyed new customers 60 to 120 days after switching to Sky - here's what they told us:

  • Had to have an engineer out to get set up initially. The switch went ok, but have had trouble ever since with connection dropping out randomly. Maybe it's just my area, but I think it's quite expensive for how unreliable the service is, and when it works it isn't that fast.

    Overall Satisfaction: 5/10

  • Switch was simple, service efficient and I'm very happy I changed. Definitely should have switched years ago. It's far more reliable than my old provider.

    Overall Satisfaction: 9/10

  • Very easy switch, received the router in a week and the switch was exactly on the date agreed. The speed is ok, but good value for the money. I'm happy with my choice.

    Overall Satisfaction: 8/10


On average, people switching to Sky saved around £3.56 per month, and rated their Sky broadband 8.3/10.

New customers told us that they waited around less than 2 weeks between ordering and getting set up with Sky.

To read more about what customers think of Sky's broadband deals, check out our Sky reviews page for 28 more reviews and in-depth ratings data.


Everything you need to know about Sky Broadband

Sky Broadband uses its own network (acquired from Easynet in 2005) as well as the Openreach network, giving them some of the widest coverage at 99% of UK households. They launched super-fast fibre services in 2012, and in 2013 became the second-largest provider of fixed broadband in the UK after buying O2 and BE broadband.

Sky has been providing premium TV sports, movies and entertainment since the early 1990s and is the most popular cable and satellite TV supplier. They now offer a wide selection of on-demand content, allowing users to choose custom packages and binge on boxsets to their hearts’ content.


What can you get?

Essential Broadband

Unlimited standard (ADSL) broadband with average download speeds of around 11Mbps.

Superfast Broadband

Sky offer a single tier of fibre deals, unlike most providers. Superfast gives you average speeds of 59Mbps and unlimited downloads.

Call Packages

  • Sky Talk: calls charged at standard rate, available as standard with your Sky Broadband package: Calls to UK landlines charged at 15.5p/min. UK Mobiles 18p/min evening + weekend, 19.35p/min daytime.
  • Sky Talk Evenings and Weekends Extra: Inclusive evening and weekend calls to UK landlines, mobiles, 0845 and 0870 numbers.
    Monday – Friday, 7pm to 7am, plus all day Saturday and Sunday.
    Max duration 1 hour, hang up and redial to avoid charges
  • Sky Talk Anytime Extra: Inclusive anytime calls to UK landlines, mobiles, 0845 and 0870 numbers.
    Max duration 1 hour, hang up and redial to avoid charges
  • Sky Talk International Extra: Inclusive international geographic landline calls to Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Irish Republic, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, USA (also includes calls to mobiles in Canada, Hong Kong and USA).

TV Packages

Sky offers a huge variety of customisable Sky TV and broadband bundles. Packages come with an 18 month minimum contract.

  • Sky Entertainment:This is the basic Sky TV service which allows you to add extras on top. It offers over 300 channels, including Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Discovery, Comedy Central and MTV.
  • Kids Pack:Includes the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
  • HD Pack:All your favourite channels in full high definition.
  • Sky Cinema:Huge selection of the latest movies and old favourites.
  • Ultimate On Demand: With over 500 boxsets, and includes a Netflix subscription.
  • Sky Sports:Live action including Premiership Football and world class cricket, golf and F1.

Sky also offers access to BT sports directly (you can get a subscription through your Sky account without a separate BT account).

All Sky TV packages include Sky Go, which allows you to watch live TV as well as catch-up and on demand, on your phone, tablet, or computer.

You must return Sky Q equipment on time if you’re cancelling or switching away from Sky, otherwise you could be charged between £30 and £140 depending on the box.

Sky Mobile

SIM only deals are available with between 1GB and 50GB data per month, including unlimited calls and texts.


Hardware and Technology

 

Sky Broadband Hubs

All Sky Broadband packages come with the Sky Hub router as standard, which scans for the best wireless channel for a stable connection at the best possible speed. The hub has a low energy consumption mode and Sky Broadband Shield which blocks known malicious websites and has customisable parental controls.

Sky Hub (ADSL & FTTC)
Sky Q Hub (Upgrade)

 

If you take a TV bundle you can choose the Sky Q hub to turn your Q TV boxes into wifi hotspots to boost your signal. The Sky Q Hub comes with dual-band connections and Powerline tech to take advantage of your home electrical connections.

Sky Q Boxes

Sky set-top boxes are available in three sizes; 1TB, 2TB and Mini.

  • Sky Q 1TB: Record up to 500 hours of standard definition TV, watch up to two TVs and one device at the same time, and record up to three channels at the same time.
  • Sky Q 2TB: Record up to 1000 hours of standard definition TV, watch up to three TVs and 2 devices at the same time, and record up to 6 channels at the same time.
  • Sky Q Mini: Extra boxes you can stream the content available from your main box to another TV in your household.

Why choose Sky Broadband?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

  • Fast speeds, highly reliable
  • Good customer service/complaints handling
  • Unlimited downloads on all broadband packages
  • Widely available – uses openreach network as well as their own
  • Quadplay available (including mobile)
  • No download caps or throttling

The Bad

  • No broadband-only packages
  • Limited fibre availability

Sky broadband is not generally the cheapest on the market but it really shines if you want to bundle broadband together with the latest entertainment TV and sports and there are few better options for premium coverage.

Sky has a VIP loyalty programme for new and returning customers, offering free tickets, exclusive TV previews and regular free prize draws. Your VIP tier is based on how long you’ve been a Sky customer – new customers start at Silver tier, with three further tiers of offers available to long term customers.

Sky customers benefit from unlimited free Wi-Fi at public hotspots through The Cloud.

Customer Service

According to the most recent quality of service report published by Ofcom, Sky has an overall 83% customer satisfaction rating which is fairly average – but this includes a significantly lower than average percentage of customers who complain, and significantly higher than average satisfaction with how complaints are handled.

Sky’s online help is superb, with plenty of great guides and a community forum. You can contact Sky customer service via Facebook Messenger, text message, or call them on 0333 7591 018. New customers can call our dedicated order line on 0203 092 5366.


Frequently asked questions

Not sure if Sky is right for you? Have a look at what else you could get with our best broadband deals and compare before you order.