Is Sky Broadband Any Good?

By Julia Kukiewicz Staff Writer Tuesday, 12 February 2008

Is Sky Broadband Any Good? The Sky Broadband Packages Note: Each of these packages has multiple variations Sky Broadband Base (2Mbps) - Free Sky Broadband Mid (8Mbps) - £5 Sky Broadband Max (16Mbps) - £10 Sky Broadband Connect (8Mbps) - £17 Compare All Sky Broadband Packages Related Broadbands News See our other recent related news stories: Sky versus Virgin Media AFTER their much publicised public spat, many were left wondering which is better for broadband and TV bundles: Sky or Virgin Media? Adam Mitchell compares and contrasts the two broadband giants and delivers a surprising verdict. Sky Broadband cuts signup costs IN a move that is no doubt aimed squarely at knocking Virgin Media from its perch, Sky broadband has cut the cost of its broadband activation fees from £70 down to £30. Broadband bundles beginning to rumble A NEW report has revealed broadband packages that include a home phone package and perhaps a TV connection too are becoming increasingly popular. Bruce Stevens takes a closer look at how these broadband bundles are beginning to rumble. Similar 'Any Good' Articles See our other investigations into whether a particular broadband provider is any good: Is Orange Broadband any good? THERE cinema adverts may make you chuckle (or groan) but is Orange Broadband any good? Neil Hawkins puts down his popcorn, plugs in his modem and tries to find out. Is Post Office Broadband any good? IS Post Office Broadband any good? We know they’re good at selling stamps and weighing parcels, but with their recent launch of broadband services Lorrie Kelly digs a bit deeper to find out whether Post Office Broadband is any good. Is TalkTalk broadband any good? They may have totally redefined how broadband is priced in the UK, but with their horror-days of poor customer service behind them, Helen Storey reveals whether TalkTalk is any good. Is Tiscali any good? Julia Kukiewicz looks past the blanket TV adverts, and behind the rumours of poor customer service to see whether Tiscali broadband is any good. Is O2 any good? THEY hardly stormed onto the broadband market in a hail of trumpets, but O2 Broadband is quietly winning fans by the bucketload. Neil Hawkins casts aside his O2-powered iPhone and seeks the answer to the question: Is O2 Broadband any good? Is BT Anywhere with BT ToGo any good? IMAGINE being able to take your broadband connection with you wherever you go... on the street, in a taxi, on a public loo! BT says that is now possible with BT Broadband Anywhere and BT ToGo, but is it any good? Helen Storey hits the streets, a taxi and one or two public loos to find out!

YES it’s true, when they’re not busy with war-supporting or nepotism Sky run a surprisingly good broadband service.

But should you be taking your broadband from a satellite TV provider?

We answer your top questions to find out if Sky broadband is any good…

Do I have to be a Sky Customer Already?

• Long Answer:

You need to have Sky TV to get Sky Broadband but you can get them both at the same time so you don’t need to have it already.

The cheapest Sky TV package is £18 a month.

The problem is that your services will affect each other. So, if your TV viewing is suspended your broadband might be too.

• Short Answer:

No, but you will need to get Sky TV.

Can I get Sky Broadband?

• Long Answer:

Sky broadband uses unbundled cables from - now defunct - service provider Easynet. This means when it came out it was available to about 28% of UK users (just 14% for its top speeds).

Since then, however, Sky have increased their availability and, as of October last year, there were over one million sky broadband customers in the UK.

You’ll probably be able to get it and the other good news is if you aren’t in the right area to get one of their main packages Base, Mid and Max you may still be able to get the Connect package.

• Short Answer: Um, probably.

What Sky Broadband Packages can I get?

Free Broadband! What’s The Catch?

• Long Answer:

Well, free is inevitably a bit of a misleading word here. To get the ‘free’ broadband you will already have Sky TV and be paying, at the very least, £18 a month.

You also have to pay the £30 set-up fee.

It’s also worth looking at what you’ll actually be getting before you jump in: at speeds of just 2 Mb/s your broadband certainly won’t be breaking any records and you might have problems quickly downloading a large files; that means problems using applications such as the BBC iPlayer.

With a download allowance of just 2 GB you might find yourself spending even more – Sky reserves the right to charge you or even suspend your service for a month.

You should really only get the base package if you’re not going to use your broadband very much and then only for browsing and email.

• Short Answer:

You have to have Sky TV, it’s not very fast and the download limit is small. You should really only get the base package if you’re not going to use your broadband very much and then only for browsing and email.

What do I get with Sky Broadband?

You get a free wireless router, a McAfee internet security package and 10 @Sky.com email addresses.

What’s The Sky Broadband Customer Service Like?

• Long Answer:

Sky offers a 24/7 customer support service that’s free from a landline.

In common with most of the value broadband providers Sky have a pretty poor reputation for customer service. You start to worry when there’s an independent website for problems.

However, all the moaning might be a little premature.

It’s worth bearing in mind that Sky broadband is a fairly new service and they are working to improve it you might also find that the bargainous prices are worth taking the risk for.

• Short Answer:

Variable but getting better.

Will choosing Sky Broadband let me in on Gossip?

• Long Answer:

Well, I am glad you asked because Virgin Media and Sky have been fighting since the latter launched their service and there is nothing chooseisp loves more than a broadband cat fight.

Basically, with two massive companies launching a broadband service, there’s bound to be tears before bedtime.

So far they’ve mostly been fighting about their TV services – a stand-off which resulted in Sky channels becoming unavailable to Virgin Media customers for a while this time last year – but it’s only a matter of time before the broadband fur starts flying too. Fun for all the family.

• Short answer:

Yes!

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