Price:
Speed:
Reliability:
Router:
Sky Ultrafast Broadband as a full fibre connection is available to over 11.5 million homes, while the boosted part-fibre deal covers an additional 2.8 million homes.
Unlike most full fibre providers, Sky include a home phone line in the monthly price, and customers can add inclusive call plans if they want.
Sky Ultrafast customers can also save money when they bundle Sky TV, including the new online platform Sky Stream, and Sky Glass.
At a glance
| Price | £29 |
|---|---|
| Setup cost | £5 |
| Minimum term | 18 months |
| Out of contract price | £43 |
| Annual price increase | Prices may rise |
| Download speed | 145Mbps |
| Upload speed | 30Mbps |
| Usage allowance | Unlimited |
| Router | Sky Broadband Hub |
| WiFi guarantee | 25Mbps for £7.50/mth |
| Parental controls | Sky Broadband Shield |
| Home phone | Included |
| Anytime calls | £13.50 (inc. UK mobiles) |
| TV | Optional: Sky Stream or Sky Glass |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Competitively priced entry-level full fibre deal | Cheaper full fibre deals available |
| Excellent customer service | Latest WiFi 6 router costs more per month |
| Option to save on Sky Entertainment | |
| Includes digital phone line as standard |
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £28 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Sky Entertainment + Netflix + Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £39 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Save £9/mth on Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 23/05/2024) | |||||
Who is Sky Ultrafast best suited for?
Sky Ultrafast broadband is a great entry level package for people moving to full fibre for the first time, as it offers adequate download speeds for most households.
The headline speed of 145Mb per second is capable of streaming in up to 4K Ultra HD resolution, and will download a two-hour movie in HD in just under 10 minutes.
Gamers will be able to game online in 4K, as well as download gaming files relatively quickly. FIFA 23 for the PS5 would take around 1 hour, 20 minutes to download with Sky Ultrafast.
Overall, Sky Ultrafast broadband is best suited for:
- Households moving to full fibre the first time
- Smaller households where up to three people will be going online at the same time
- Gamers who use cloud gaming or download gaming files
- People who work from home and need a reliable connection
Sky Ultrafast isn't a budget broadband package, but it's competitively priced at £29 per month, and comes with Sky's excellent reputation for customer service and low complaint levels.
The added benefits of a digital phone line included as standard, and the ability to bundle Sky TV for extra savings will also be advantageous to some households.
At the time of writing, Sky Ultrafast is only £4 more per month than Sky Superfast and offers double the download speed, so it's offering good value for money for those living in full fibre enabled areas.
See the latest prices and availability for Sky broadband.
What does Sky Ultrafast offer?
Sky Ultrafast is the provider's entry-level full fibre package, offering average download speeds of 145Mb per second at peak times, and 30Mb per second average upload speeds.
Customers get a landline included as standard, as well as the Sky Broadband Hub, and a free Wall-to-Wall WiFi guarantee.
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £28 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
The minimum term for Sky Ultrafast is 18-months, after which the price will increase to £43 per month, although customers will then be able to re-contract for a lower price or switch away.
Sky reserve the right to increase prices on an annual basis, although they don't specify by how much. In April 2023, the provider increased prices by less than inflation at 8.1% on average, while other providers were hiking theirs by as much as 14.4%.
Sky Ultrafast is provided over a full fibre to the premises connection on the Openreach network, wherever it's available, which currently stands at over 11.5 million premises across the UK.
However, customers in some fibre to the cabinet areas, approximately around a further 2.8 million homes, may also be able to access Sky Ultrafast if their street cabinet is enabled for G.Fast, a technology that boosts fibre to the cabinet connections.
Check availability for Sky Ultrafast.
Sky Ultrafast + calls
Sky Ultrafast comes with a landline included as standard and customers get pay as you go calls with the option to upgrade to inclusive call plans.
This sets Ultrafast apart from the competition as many full fibre providers, including BT, TalkTalk, and Plusnet, are now offering data-only lines as standard, and customers have to pay more for a landline if they have that option at all.
Sky pay as you go calling costs 25p per minute to UK landlines and UK mobiles at any time, plus a 25p connection charge.
Customers can also add an optional call plan, including:
| Call plan | Includes | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Sky Talk Evenings and Weekends Extra | Calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles Monday to Friday evenings, 7pm to 7am, and all weekend | £5.75 |
| Sky Talk Anytime Extra | Calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles at any time | £13.50 |
| Sky Talk International Extra | Calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles at any time, plus calls to 50 popular destinations | £15.50 |
Sky Talk plans come with a minimum term of 18-month when taken with a broadband deal, and inclusive calls are limited to one hour in duration, so callers will need to hang up and re-dial if they're making longer calls.
Sky Ultrafast + Sky TV
It's possible to bundle Sky Ultrafast broadband with a Sky TV plan, whether that's Sky Stream or Sky Glass. Both options provide some savings over taking the services separately.
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Sky Entertainment + Netflix + Ultrafast Broadband | 150 | 145Mb average | £39 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Save £9/mth on Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 23/05/2024) | ||||||
|
|
Sky Glass + Sky Entertainment + Netflix + Ultrafast Broadband | 150 | 145Mb average | £26 for 3 mths, then £54 |
£10 | 48 months |
| Offer: Sky Entertainment & Netflix free for 3 months and Sky Live included at no extra cost + Reduced price broadband (Ends 01/05/2024) | ||||||
The pricing for Sky Stream and Sky Glass with Ultrafast Broadband are similar, apart from the additional cost of the Sky Glass set.
Both options come with the ability to add premium channel packs and on-demand apps, including Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, TNT Sports, Disney+, Paramount+, and many others. Netflix is also included as standard in both options listed above.
Read more about Sky TV and the Sky Stream service.
Sky Ultrafast vs Ultrafast Plus
Customers living within a full fibre enabled area will also have the choice to upgrade to the faster Sky Ultrafast Plus package, but should they?
Sky Ultrafast Plus offers average download speeds of 500Mb per second, over three times faster than the speeds offered by Ultrafast.
Here are the latest prices:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £28 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
|
Ultrafast Plus Broadband | 500Mb average | £33 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
Right now, new customers can get Sky Ultrafast Plus for £35 per month, just £6 more than the current cost of Sky Ultrafast. Over the length of the contract the difference works out at £108.
Should you upgrade?
Sky Ultrafast Plus is an attractive upgrade considering the faster speeds on offer for not that much more per month.
While most households will find the 145Mbps download speed offered by Ultrafast adequate, the speed boost to 500Mbps on Ultrafast Plus will better manage multiple users going online at the same time.
File downloads will also be noticeably quicker, with Ultrafast Plus able to download a 100GB game file in just 30 minutes, while Ultrafast would take closer to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Ultimately, it'll come down to what a household needs as well as their budget.
How does Sky Ultrafast compare?
Sky Ultrafast Broadband is currently more expensive than equivalent plans from a number of other major providers, including Plusnet and pay TV rivals Virgin Media. However, it's cheaper than deals from TalkTalk and BT.
Here is the latest pricing:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £28 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
M125 Fibre Broadband | 132Mb average | £26 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Reduced price: £26 per month + No setup fee (was £35) (Ends 30/04/2024) | |||||
|
Full Fibre 145 | 145Mb average | £27.99 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Save over £12/mth + No setup fee + Exclusive offers and discounts for Plusnet customers | |||||
|
Full Fibre 150 | 152Mb average | £28 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
It's worth noting that while Sky Ultrafast looks more expensive than other equivalent packages, Sky include a digital home phone line and line rental in their monthly price, where many of these other packages are data-only lines.
Plusnet and TalkTalk offer full fibre broadband without a phone line, and customers don't even have the option to add one.
BT and Virgin Media customers can add a phone line, but it costs more per month, pushing up BT's prices by £5 per month, and Virgin Media's by £7.50.
Sky broadband also has the lowest complaint levels in the market, and a reputation for excellent customer service. Customers can also benefit from exclusive savings with Sky TV.
Check what's available at your postcode with our full fibre broadband search.
How fast is Sky Ultrafast broadband?
Sky Ultrafast broadband offers average download speeds of 145Mb per second, that means at least 50% of their customers are getting these speeds or faster.
| Average download speed at peak times | Average upload speed at peak times | |
|---|---|---|
| Sky Ultrafast | 145Mb | 30Mb |
Customers will also get average upload speeds of 30Mb per second on the full fibre connection.
Sky Ultrafast is a full fibre to the premises connection where available, which will be faster and more reliable in comparison to older fibre to the cabinet technology.
Where customers connect to Sky Ultrafast using G.Fast, the maximum speed of that technology is 330Mbps, so customers should receive the headline 145Mbps without issue.
Speed guarantee
Sky does offer a speed guarantee that promises a minimum download speed, or they'll refund one month's broadband subscription.
It's possible for customers to claim up to twice during their minimum term, but they'll also have the option to leave their contracts early without penalty if Sky fail to deliver the guaranteed speed for 3 days in a row and don't resolve the issue within 30 days.
While minimum speed guarantees are personalised to a property, customers can expect a minimum speed of around 100Mb per second on Sky Ultrafast.
WiFi guarantee
Sky Ultrafast comes with a Wall-to-Wall WiFi guarantee, which promises minimum wireless speeds of 3Mbps in every room, or a customer can claim one month's broadband subscription back.
It's a pretty decent offer considering it's included for free.
Customers can also upgrade to the Sky WiFi Max add-on for £7.50 per month. It includes an upgraded WiFi guarantee with minimum wireless speeds of 25Mbps in every room, and also adds daily line checks and automatic fixes, free off-peak engineer visits, and 2GB of Sky mobile data if the fixed-line connection ever goes down.
It's one of the best WiFi guarantees available, and also includes Sky's latest router, the Sky Max Hub, which supports the WiFi 6 protocol.
Sky Router
Sky Ultrafast broadband comes with the Sky Broadband Hub, which offers dual-band wireless and supports the WiFi 5 protocol.
However, in July 2023, Sky announced the release of a new router, the Sky Max Hub, which supports the latest WiFi 6 protocol.
That's important for Sky customers, as both the Sky Stream box and Sky Glass TV sets work with WiFi 6, which means a newer router could boost speeds to those devices.
However, Sky Ultrafast broadband customers will need to take the Sky WiFi Max add-on to get the newer router. The whole home WiFi guarantee included in the add-on is worth the £7.50 per month, but it's somewhat frustrating full fibre customers aren't being provided the new router as standard.
Verdict: Is Sky Ultrafast worth it?
Sky Ultrafast broadband is a middle of the road full fibre deal - it's not the cheapest, nor is it the most expensive.
We think Sky's brilliant customer service track record should afford customers some confidence in choosing them as a provider, and mitigates the extra few pounds spent over the cheapest budget deals.
In terms of the broadband speed of Sky Ultrafast, at 145Mbps it's the entry-level tier available for full fibre broadband, yet it's still almost twice as fast next option down - Sky's Superfast broadband -, or even the UK's average broadband speed of 69.4Mbps.
This means Sky Ultrafast will be more than adequate for most households and offers a great starting point for anyone moving to full fibre from a fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) superfast deal for the first time.
We've more guides on how Sky performs in our full review of their broadband service, which covers everything about their reliable and customer service metrics, as well as interesting comparison guides where we put Sky head-to-head with rival Virgin Media.
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