Sky has been beaming TV signals into homes since 1989, but in the past few years it’s also branched out into broadband internet and is rapidly becoming one the UK’s largest ISPs alongside TalkTalk, O2, BT and Virgin Media.
Recently it has also started offering fibre optic broadband, giving us high-speed internet access to replace increasingly outdated ADSL services.
Sky fibre optic broadband
Sky fibre broadband uses BT’s fibre optic network to deliver reliable internet access at high speeds. The old ADSL which most of us still use is running on ancient copper phone lines which were never built for that purpose, and which suffer from problems with signal loss the further you get from an exchange, slow maximum speeds and constant maintenance issues as the lines degrade.
If you’re fed up of crawling along at a few megabits or being told that you’ll get ‘up to’ 24Mb, then Sky fibre optic is the answer.
This far superior technology beams data to your home at much greater speeds, without the issues that can plague ADSL broadband. When you buy a Sky fibre 38Mb or 76Mb broadband connection, you’ll actually get that speed, or very close to it.
FTTH and FTTC
There are a couple of terms you may very well run into while you compare fibre optic broadband.
Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) is the most common type of fibre connection in the UK. Here, BT runs fibre lines run up to your nearest telephone cabinet then completes the connection using the old copper lines.
With fibre to the home (or fibre to the premises as it is sometimes called) the fibre lines run the whole way.
FTTH is much faster, capable of 1Gb and beyond. However the cost is significantly higher so there are very few homes in the UK which can receive this so far. Right now Sky fibre uses FTTH, and this currently provides a connection of up to 76Mb. Not quite as impressive as 1Gb but it doesn’t cost you any extra to install, you can simply sign up for it like any other broadband connection.
Can I get Sky fibre optic broadband?
Thanks to the wide expansion of BT’s fibre optic coverage it means that Sky fibre optic broadband in 2013 is available to a huge number of people throughout the country, over 60% of the population and growing all the time.
Until recently Sky was only offering upgrades to its existing broadband customers but you can now buy Sky fibre as a brand new customer, taking advantage of those generous cheap bundle offers to nab a great deal.
In order to find out if Sky fibre broadband is available in your area, simply enter your postcode in the comparison table above. Our deal engine will list exactly what you can get based on the current status of your exchange. Don’t forget you can also read reviews from other users, or leave a comment with your own opinion.
If fibre is not yet available it will say no offers are available, however you should check back regularly as BT is enabling more exchanges for fibre all the time.
Sky fibre bundles
One of the big advantages of going with Sky is of course those great value triple-play bundle offers which can work out to be one of the best and cheapest ways of getting superfast broadband, telephone and premium TV.
When you compare Sky fibre deals look out for the bundle offers which include Sky television and a phone line along with fast fibre optic broadband. This can save you a great deal of money instead of using separate suppliers.
Also keep an eye out for limited-time offers, which can includes months of free or half-price internet access, upgraded Sky+ boxes and free shopping vouchers.
