Time is running out to take advantage of the latest broadband boost from Sky.
The British broadcaster is offering the chance to upgrade to faster download speeds at no extra cost. That's because Sky is charging the same monthly fee for its Superfast and Full Fibre 100 broadband bundles — despite a whopping 39Mbps difference in average download speeds between these two packages.
You can secure either of these Sky Broadband packages for just £27 per month.
Even better, Sky has waived the upfront cost across all of its broadband deals, so there's no cost when you switch from your current supplier. But the deal vanishes at 11.59pm tonight (April 25, 2024).
The average home broadband speed in the UK was measured as 69.4Mbps last year, according to Ofcom. That means those who opt for Sky Broadband Superfast will be ever so slightly below the average, with downloads clocking in at 61Mbps.
Those who plump for Full Fibre 100 will enjoy 1.6x faster speeds than the average and any neighbours paying for Superfast from Sky Broadband.
According to research from USwitch, the average household in the UK spends £26.90 a month on broadband. So that means you'll be spending just 10p more to access much faster download speeds with the Full Fibre 100 package.
For comparison, Vodafone charges £30 per month for its Full Fibre 200 broadband plan, BT charges £34.99 for Full Fibre 100 — although it does offer faster 150Mbps speeds and the first five months of your 24-month contract will be half price, and Plusnet charges £27.99 for Full Fibre 145 — which also boasts speedier 145Mbps download speeds. Meanwhile, TalkTalk is offering a free Echo Dot smart speaker with its full-fibre broadband packages for a limited time.
Netflix recommends 15Mbps to stream its shows and movies in 4K Ultra HD — the highest picture quality that it offers. You'll need that bandwidth for every device streaming from the service, which can soon add up in busy households. But 100Mbps should be enough for those who want to stream in multiple rooms.
Sky offers its Guaranteed Minimum Download Speed with both the Superfast and Full Fibre 100 plans. If your connection falls below this minimum speed threshold for three consecutive days — you'll get a refund.
It's worth noting that not everyone can access Full Fibre 100. As the name suggests, this broadband package requires a full-fibre connection from Openreach to your home address. According to estimates from Sky Broadband, roughly 40% of all UK homes should be able to access these speeds.
When you enter your postcode, Sky will check the speeds available and tailor its recommendations.
If you can access Full Fibre 100, then you should absolutely choose that package over the slower Superfast bundle, which maxes out at 61Mbps and uses older broadband infrastructure. As well as the same £27 monthly cost, both of these broadband plans come with the same 18-month contract term too.
It comes as Ofcom named-and-shamed the most complained-about telecom providers in the UK, with Sky TV receiving the fewest complaints for both its broadband and paid TV services over the last three months.
Unfortunately, things were less rosy for Virgin Media, which saw some improvement since the latest report from the industry watchdog, but still ranked as the most complained-about broadband and paid TV provider.
Full Fibre 100 is only available in 40% of UK homes, but anyone who can access these faster fibre broadband speeds should plump for Full Fibre 100 from Sky Broadband for the same price as the slower Superfast plan
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Virgin Media received 20 complaints per 100,000 broadband customers between October and December, an improvement on the 32 per 100,000 recorded in the previous quarter. It was slightly ahead of NOW Broadband, formerly NOW TV, which received 18 complaints but lagged behind the industry average of 12. Sky came in with the fewest complaints at five per 100,000 customers, while Plusnet and EE both received nine.
