Price:
Speed:
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Router:
Sky Ultrafast Broadband is a boosted part fibre connection available to 2.8 million homes where the street cabinet has been upgraded to G.Fast.
While the full fibre version of this plan has now been renamed to Full Fibre 150, those who've yet to be passed by Openreach's FTTP roll-out may find the faster speeds pleasing.
Sky Ultrafast offers average download speeds of 145Mbps and bundles a digital home phone line and the Sky Broadband Hub.
At a glance
| Price | £29 |
|---|---|
| Setup cost | £5 (Refundable) |
| Minimum term | 24 months |
| Out of contract price | £46 |
| Annual price increase | Prices may rise |
| Download speed | 145Mbps |
| Upload speed | 27Mbps |
| Usage allowance | Unlimited |
| Router | Sky Broadband Hub |
| WiFi guarantee | 3Mbps for £7.50/mth |
| Parental controls | Sky Broadband Shield |
| Home phone | Included |
| Anytime calls | £16 (inc. UK mobiles) |
| TV | Optional: Sky Stream or Sky Glass |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Boosted part fibre plan for those yet to be reached by full fibre | Sky Max Hub upgrade not available with this plan |
| Includes digital phone line as standard | Broadband Boost add-on expensive compared to WiFi Max |
| Excellent customer service record | No discounts on Sky TV bundles with this plan |
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £29 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
Who is Sky Ultrafast best suited for?
Sky Ultrafast broadband is a useful option for people who've yet be to reached by full fibre, but that want faster speeds than are available with standard part fibre deals, like Sky Superfast.
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:
- People who need a faster broadband connection but are still waiting for full fibre broadband to reach them
- Households living in G.Fast enabled areas that need faster broadband than Sky's Superfast 61Mb plan
- Medium sized households where two to four people will be going online at the same time
- Streaming TV and films in either 1080p HD or even 4K Ultra HD
- Gamers who use cloud gaming or download gaming files
- People who work from home and need a reliable connection
While Sky Ultrafast is a useful boosted part fibre plan, availability is limited, with only those living near to a G.Fast enabled street cabinet able to benefit, around just 2.8 million premises.
The G.Fast technology on offer here has also now been superseded by the full fibre roll-out, so new locations won't be coming available, as properties are upgraded to full fibre instead.
For those who can get it, Sky Ultrafast is only £4 per month more expensive than Sky's standard part fibre plan, Superfast, so the upgrade could be worthwhile.
Customers will also benefit from Sky's excellent reputation for customer service and low complaint levels. As well as the added benefits of a digital phone line and option to access WiFi boosters with Sky Broadband Boost for an extra £7.50 per month.
Overall, we'd say this will be a useful package for some, but it misses out on Sky's newer Max Hub router, and the WiFi guarantee is more expensive than with Sky Superfast.
See the latest prices and availability for Sky broadband.
What does Sky Ultrafast offer?
Sky Ultrafast is the provider's boosted G.Fast part fibre package, offering average download speeds of 145Mb per second at peak times, and 27Mb 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 | £29 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
The minimum term for Sky Ultrafast is 24 months, after which the price will increase to £46 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 2024, the provider increased prices by less than inflation at 6.7% on average, while other providers were hiking theirs by as much as 7.9%.
Sky Ultrafast can be provided where the local street cabinet has been upgraded to G.Fast technology, which boosts the standard maximum part fibre speed above 80Mbps.
The major downside is availability however, with just 2.8 million premises capable of receiving G.Fast broadband connections, and the technology now being replaced by the full fibre roll-out, so new locations won't be becoming available.
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 27p 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 | £8 |
| Sky Talk Anytime Extra | Calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles at any time | £16 |
| Sky Talk International Extra | Calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles at any time, plus calls to 50 popular destinations | £18 |
Sky Talk plans come with a minimum term of 24-months 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.
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Sky Essential TV + Superfast Broadband | 100 | 61Mb average | £39 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Reduced price broadband + Free setup (worth £39.95) (Ends 06/01/2025) | ||||||
|
|
Sky Ultimate TV + Superfast Broadband | 142 | 61Mb average | £43 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Save £6/mth on Sky Ultimate TV + Sky broadband just £21/mth + Free setup | ||||||
At the time of writing, there aren't the usual discounts for bundling Sky TV and broadband on this Ultrafast plan, and in fact, bundling at the checkout increases the monthly price to £43 per month.
As such, for those who want to bundle Sky TV, either sign up separately or opt for the slower Sky Superfast Broadband plan instead.
Read more about Sky TV and the Sky Stream service.
Sky Superfast vs Ultrafast
Customers living within a part fibre enabled area will also have the choice of Sky's standard Superfast package, but with slower download speeds is it even worth considering?
Sky Superfast offers average download speeds of 61Mb per second, less than half the average download speed of 145Mbps offered by Ultrafast.
Here are the latest prices:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Superfast Broadband | 61Mb average | £27 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
|
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £29 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
Right now, new customers can get Sky Superfast for £25 per month, that's £4 per month cheaper than Sky Ultrafast, and also benefits from discounts when bundling Sky TV.
Over the length of the contract the difference works out at £96 excluding Sky TV, but some might find the faster speeds worth it.
Should you upgrade?
Current pricing makes Sky Ultrafast a good upgrade option for those looking for a simple Sky broadband deal.
We'd suggest not bundling Sky TV, or ensuring to sign up separately, due to increase in pricing when checking out with both Sky Ultrafast broadband and Sky TV.
Aside from speed, there are some benefits to Sky Superfast over this Ultrafast plan as well, including the ability to upgrade to the more up to date Sky Max Hub and better WiFi guarantee.
Ultimately however, it'll come down to what a household needs as well as their budget.
How does Sky Ultrafast compare?
Few other broadband providers still offer part fibre G.Fast plans, with TalkTalk one exception with their Fibre 150 package.
Here is the pricing of the two G.Fast options side-by-side:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £29 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Fibre 150 | 145Mb average | £35 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
Sky and TalkTalk both include a home phone line at no extra cost on these plans, as well as bundle a similar WiFi 5 enabled router.
However, Sky broadband also maintains 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 | 27Mb |
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 Broadband Boost add-on for £7.50 per month. It includes an upgraded WiFi guarantee with WiFi boosters provided at no extra cost if your home needs them. Customers also get 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 doesn't quite meet up to the Sky WiFi Max guarantee, but it's reasonable and the equipment provided is of a decent standard.
Sky Router
Sky Ultrafast broadband comes with the Sky Broadband Hub, which offers dual-band wireless and supports the WiFi 5 protocol.
While Sky now have a new router, the Sky Max Hub, which supports the latest WiFi 6 protocol, it's not available with Sky's Ultrafast package.
That could be frustrating for some customers as it is possible to upgrade to Sky's WiFi Max and get the Sky Max Hub if customers take Sky Superfast instead.
Verdict: Is Sky Ultrafast worth it?
Sky Ultrafast broadband is a package that's unlikely to be around much longer as full fibre broadband takes over from part fibre and G.Fast connections.
However, for those who have G.Fast but are still waiting for full fibre to reach them, it's a good option for accessing slightly faster speeds than you can usually get on part fibre.
Pricing means it's a reasonable upgrade choice too, at just £4 per month more than Sky's Superfast plan. Although missing router upgrades and an older WiFi guarantee could put off some speed-seekers.
Overall, we'd say Sky Ultrafast is worth it if you can get it, otherwise Sky Superfast is more than adequate and the router upgrade will suit some homes more in any case.
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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