Sky Broadband Deals

Sky is one of the biggest names in the broadband world, so they will be high on the list of consideration for many people. Deciding which Sky package to purchase will come down to how you live your life and how much you use broadband. Generally speaking, you need to consider the types of things you do on the Internet and how many people live in the house. In a small household where one or two people just browse the web and maybe use social media the speed required will not be as high as multi-user households with several people all wanting access at the same time to stream movies play games and download music. Sky also offers several packages that include their television services, and this can be another way to save some money. You could also add in your landline, and sometimes this is a compulsory part of a broadband package, but by having it with the same provider, you will still end up with something that offers more value.

The broadband industry is highly competitive, so you need to take care to keep an eye out for introductory offers. These can make a package seem really cheap, but when you read the small print it is for a limited period of say three months, and then the price goes back to normal which is much higher. It is essential to make sure that you check out the detail in every package offered, so you know exactly what you are paying for and when. 

Contracts tend to vary in length between maybe 12 to 18 months, and this is a binding period, so any reason to leave early will cause you termination fees. This means you need to take care if you are renting your property, in student accommodation, or planning to move because broadband deals are not transferable between one property and another due to the differences in coverage in each area. 

So if you move before the contract ends it will be seen as a termination and fees will be payable. Deals do evolve all the time, and you do now have a few rolling type contracts that do not tie you in which are perfect for people who are unsure as to how long they are going to be in one place. It is also important to understand your usage, so you don’t end up paying more than you need, companies will always push for their more expensive packages but if you do not need everything provided it is a waste of money, and you are better off sticking with what you actually wanted.

There are two options when it comes to broadband; customers can either have ADSL or fibre-optic; you will also find that companies refer to fibre-optic simply as fibre. For a long time, the UK broadband network was made up using the copper telephone wires and the mobile phone network, which has some limitations in terms of speed. The development of fibre-optic cables has meant a radical upgrade to the way we can receive Internet. Cables made of either glass or plastic have given broadband providers a way to send much more information at a faster speed. This brings a much better service and has enabled customers to have access to a broader choice of services. 

The whole country has been re-cabled although there are differences in coverage depending on where you live, so you need to check before you sign up to any one provider. Sky does have a right level of coverage and can offer fibre-optic of speeds between 36Mbps to 900Mbps depending where you live. One of the issues that determines the speed is how the companies choose to bring the broadband into the property from the telephone cabinets that are used as local connection points. 

The good thing about fibre is that it does not require access to a telephone line to work, but this message seems to be taking a long time to reach the providers as most of them seem determined to make a phone contract a mandatory part of having the service. You can often get this added into the package or purchase it separately.

The first thing you should do is check the coverage in your area, and this can be done on broadband provider websites by simply entering your phone number or postcode. Of course the information this returns might not be useful if you don’t know what sort of speed you should be looking for. One thing you can do is check the rate you currently have using a speed testing tool. If you are currently experiencing something that is too slow, you know to step up slightly if you are happy with the speed you can look for a cheaper deal. A rough guide is as follows:

For a small household of one or two people who use the internet and social media type apps, a speed of 0-30Mbps would be sufficient. ADSL averages a speed of 10Mbps, so this could be a cost-effective option. 

Where there are three or more people who all want to connect at the same time, who want to play games, stream movies and download, then you need something more robust. Aim for 30-60Mbps, which means ADSL is not appropriate, but fibre is a good choice.

In even busier households with many devices all connected at once, where lots of people have many connections at the same time, from phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, televisions, and virtual assistants a faster speed is recommended at a rate of 60-100Mbps. Fast fibre packages are perfect here, and these are affordable. 

For home businesses where there is a significant requirement of teleconferencing and downloading files, you should be pushing towards 100Mbps, and this will ensure you have a good speed that delivers what you need without buffering.