Sky overtakes EE and Virgin Media to become fastest full-fibre broadband provider in UK, and that's not all

It's packed with the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology, which can deliver wireless speeds twice as fast as Wi-Fi 6. Whether you're working from home, streaming TV shows or films in crisp 4K Ultra HD, or playing games online, Sky Broadband subscribers will benefit from next-generation wireless speeds and lower latency, even in the busiest households.

Gigafast+ hub was developed by engineers at Sky and parent company Comcast, marking the first Wi-Fi device developed across the $134bn multinational firm. The new router is a tri-band device, which means it's equipped with three separate radio bands to transmit data: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz with Wi-Fi 7.

The latter should improve Wi-Fi performance in densely-packed areas, like an apartment building or estate with dozens of neighbours all running their own Wi-Fi routers and internet-connected gadgets in close proximity. That's because the 6GHz band is much less congested than the more common 5GHz, meaning better performance and lower latency.

On the back of the Gigafast+ hub, you'll find two 10Gbps ethernet ports to support a direct connection for faster speeds for heavy streamers and hefty file downloaders.

Sky will send you a Gigafast+ hub when you sign-up for one of its new lightning-fast broadband plans, dubbed Full Fibre 2.5 Gigafast+ and Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+. Both of these are powered by a long-term partnership between Sky and CityFibre, which was first announced last year.

As such, you'll only be able to access the Sky Gigafast+ packages if your home is connected to the CityFibre full-fibre broadband network. CityFibre is currently available in 4.5 million premises, with plans to expand to 8 million home and businesses in the coming years.

Everyone else on Sky Broadband will be connected via BT-owned Openreach.

This is the single largest broadband infrastructure network across the UK — connecting 99% of homes and businesses. However, Openreach is racing to upgrade its infrastructure to newer, fibre-optic cables.

The upgraded full-fibre speeds from Openreach still fall short of what Sky Broadband subscribers can expect if they're connected via CityFibre.

Sky Chief Consumer Officer, Sophia Ahmad said: "We’re proud to be setting a new standard in UK broadband. With speeds up to 5 Gbps, our new Full Fibre Gigafast+ packages make Sky the UK’s fastest major broadband provider. Combined with our existing full fibre range, we’re offering more choice than ever before. Powered by cutting-edge WiFi 7 technology, these plans deliver smarter, faster, and more reliable connectivity to homes across the country."

It's worth noting that some smaller full-fibre broadband suppliers can offer similar download speeds — or faster — in some areas of the UK. Known as "alt-nets," these increasingly-popular suppliers offer a hyperlocalised full-fibre service. In contrast, Sky is classified as a major broadband supplier, meaning it operates nationwide and relies on UK-wide infrastructure from either BT-owned Openreach or Virgin Media O2.

Full Fibre 2.5 Gigafast+ starts from £70 a month, while the top-of-the-line Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+ costs £80 a month. The latter is available with WiFi Max at no extra cost, worth from £4 a month.

This optional extra offers a minimum download speed in every room of your house via Sky's Wi-Fi guarantee, advanced security and parental tools.

Both ultra-speedy full-fibre broadband plans are available to purchase today.

Discussing the new broadband plans, Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, said: "Sky is making the most of CityFibre’s full fibre network to offer its customers fast and reliable Multi-Gig speeds and an outstanding online experience. This partnership is bringing more choice and better broadband to millions of homes on CityFibre’s nationwide, growing network – vital for how people live today and helping to deliver a healthy, competitive market for the long-term."

The announcement from Sky comes one month after Vodafone launched its next-generation Wi-Fi 7 wireless router, rumoured since October last year, that it claims will unlock download speeds up to 60x faster than standard broadband.

Starting from £39 a month, Vodafone Ultra Hub 7, this router is built from 95% recycled plastic and equipped with the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless technology for faster downloads and a more stable connection. At its peak, this router can deliver speeds of 2.2Gbps.

To ensure that broadband subscribers are getting these speeds everywhere in their home, Vodafone will send a Super WiFi 7 Booster with its router. This is placed elsewhere in your home to boost wireless signals, like a relay tower.

Vodafone subscribers will never be left without an internet connection, thanks to the built-in 4G dongle at the back of the new Vodafone Ultra Hub 7. This mobile network kicks in whenever there's a problem with the broadband, so you'll stay online when it matters most.

When the broadband outage is resolved, the Ultra Hub 7 will switch back to a wired connection.

While you'll undoubtedly see a dip in speeds when switching from a full-fibre connection over to 4G, it does means that you'll be able to continue with essential tasks, like recording from a video doorbell, adjusting your internet-connected lights or thermostat, sending emails, or making video calls.

Vodafone was the second nationwide broadband supplier to offer Wi-Fi 7, following in the footsteps of EE.

This BT-owned brand was the first to launch a Wi-Fi 7 router last summer. Dubbed EE Smart Hub with Wi-Fi 7, the next-generation router promised connections up to twice as fast as Wi-Fi 6, so you can experience faster speeds and a more robust connection, especially when multiple devices are connected simultaneously.

EE broadband subscribers on the fastest packages will be upgraded to the new Wi-Fi 7 router for free, while others will need to spend £10 a month to switch to the all-singing, all-dancing wireless kit.

Of course, you can buy a standalone Wi-Fi router and connect it to your existing system to unlock these newer speeds. Amazon-owned brand eero is one the market-leaders and recently announced its Wi-Fi 7 lineup.

These aren't the first Wi-Fi 7 routers developed by the team at Eero, which Amazon acquired for an eye-watering $97 million back in 2019, that honour goes to the Eero Max 7 launched last year at £599.99.

However, the more affordable Eero 7 (£169.99) and Eero Pro 7 (£299.99) are designed to make this technology more accessible and ensure more homeowners are able to take advantage of its perks.

Wi-Fi 7 is a significant upgrade over previous wireless standards. It unlocks much faster data transfer speeds, thanks to its ability to combine multiple frequency bands together.

Eero 7 delivers wireless speeds up to 1.8 Gbps — matching the maxed-out broadband speed available natiownide in the UK today — and wired speeds up to 2.3 Gbps through its two 2.5 GbE ports.