Sky Full Fibre 500 Broadband

Last updated: 16 December 2024   By Lyndsey Burton

Sky Full Fibre 500 replaces Ultrafast Plus as the provider's second fastest broadband plan.

Sky's 500Mbps full fibre plan is well priced and now includes the latest router at no extra cost.

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Sky Full Fibre 500 has replaced Sky Ultrafast Plus, and offers average download speeds of 500Mbps with unlimited usage.

New customers now get the latest WiFi 6 enabled Sky Max Hub included at no extra cost, with an optional wireless guarantee of 25Mbps in every room.

The package is delivered using a full fibre to the home connection, and is currently available to over 50% of homes in the UK.

sky broadband max hub

At a glance

Price £31
Setup cost £5 (Refundable)
Minimum term 24 months
Out of contract price £46
Annual price increase Prices may rise
Download speed 500Mbps
Upload speed 60Mbps
Usage allowance Unlimited
Router Sky Max Hub
WiFi guarantee 25Mbps for £4/mth
Parental controls Sky Broadband Shield
Home phone Included
Anytime calls £16 (inc. UK mobiles)
TV Optional: Sky Stream or Sky Glass
Pros Cons
Competitively priced 500Mbps full fibre plan Asymmetrical upload speeds (not as fast as the download speed)
Now includes Sky Max Hub at no extra cost Availability limited to Openreach FTTP network, although this is so far over 50% of the UK
Discounts available when bundled with Sky TV In-contract prices may rise annually
Excellent customer service record
Package Broadband Monthly price Upfront price Contract term
Full Fibre 500 500Mb average £33 £5 24 months
offer Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable)
Sky Ultimate TV + Full Fibre 500 500Mb average £49 Free 24 months
offer Offer: Save £6/mth on Sky Ultimate TV + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 06/01/2025)

Who is Sky Full Fibre 500 best for?

Sky Full Fibre 500 is a mid-tier full fibre package, and offers download speeds adequate for even the largest of homes.

The extra speeds offered by this Full Fibre 500 plan will come in useful for homes where multiple people are going online at the same time, particularly if they're online gaming or streaming in HD or UHD.

Sky Full Fibre 500 is also a great broadband package for those who work from home, especially where that connection is also being shared, so no one gets slowed down.

500Mbps is capable of downloading large files quickly. FIFA 23 for the PlayStation 5, for example, would take just over 14 minutes. In comparison, Sky Full Fibre 150 which offers 150Mbps download speeds would take an hour and twenty minutes.

Overall, Sky Full Fibre 500 is best suited for:

  • Larger households with multiple people going online at the same time
  • People who work from home, where a fast connection is paramount
  • Online gamers and families who stream content in Ultra HD

In terms of pricing, Sky Full Fibre 500 Broadband is currently competitively priced, and one of the cheapest full fibre plans offering such fast download speeds.

While that does make it more attractive, customers should be aware prices will rise after the minimum term, when it increases to £46 per month. While it's possible to switch providers or re-contract with Sky for a cheaper price at this point, it's worth bearing in mind.


What does Sky Full Fibre 500 offer?

Sky Full Fibre 500 has replaced Sky's previous Ultrafast Plus package, although little has changed aside from the inclusion of a faster router.

Full Fibre 500 - and Ultrafast Plus - offer average download speeds of 500Mbps, and average upload speeds of 60Mbps.

Package Broadband Monthly price Upfront price Contract term
Full Fibre 500 500Mb average £33 £5 24 months
offer Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable)

New customers are provided with the latest Sky Max Hub router, which supports WiFi 6 and updated WPA3 security.

Sky's Full Fibre 500 plan also includes a digital home phone line at no extra cost, and Sky's free Wall-to-Wall WiFi guarantee promising minimum speeds in every room or money back.

This full fibre plan is available where the Openreach FTTP network has rolled out to, which is so far over 50% of homes. You can check availability in your area on our Sky broadband deals page.

The minimum term on Sky Full Fibre 500 Broadband is 24 months, and prices will rise at this point unless a customer chooses to switch away or negotiate a new deal with Sky.

Sky also reserve the right to increase prices annually, although unlike other providers they don't specify by how much. In April 2024, Sky increased broadband prices by 6.7% but also gave customers the option to leave their contract early.

Sky Full Fibre 500 Broadband comes with unlimited usage and Sky Broadband Shield, which offers network-level protection against phishing and malware, as well as customisable age-related content settings for younger family members.

It's possible to upgrade to the WiFi Max add-on for an additional £4 per month, and this bundles a 25Mbps WiFi guarantee with up to 3 Plume WiFi Pods, along with advanced parental control and security tools in the MySky app.

Sky Full Fibre 500 and calls

Sky Full Fibre 500 broadband comes with a digital home phone line as standard and customers can make and receive calls on a pay as you go basis.

For those who use their home phone more regularly, Sky also offer three inclusive calling plans:

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

Pay as you go, and out of allowance, calls cost 27 pence per minute to UK landlines and UK mobiles, plus a 25 pence connection charge.

Sky Talk plans come minimum contract terms of 24 months when taken with a broadband deal.


Sky Full Fibre 500 and Sky TV

While Sky Full Fibre 500 can be taken as a standalone broadband deal, it's also available with additional discounts on both Sky Stream and Sky Glass.

Package TV Broadband Monthly price Upfront price Contract term
Sky Essential TV + Full Fibre 500 100 500Mb average £45 Free 24 months
offer Offer: Reduced price broadband + Free setup (worth £39.95) (Ends 06/01/2025)
Sky Ultimate TV + Full Fibre 500 142 500Mb average £49 Free 24 months
offer Offer: Save £6/mth on Sky Ultimate TV + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 06/01/2025)

At the time of writing, it's possible to get Sky Full Fibre 500 Broadband for just £30 per month when bundled with Sky Ultimate TV with Sky Stream, which is a saving of £1 per month over taking the services separately.

While Sky Stream taken in a broadband bundle comes with an 24-month minimum term, it's still possible to add premium packs on rolling 31-day terms if a customer chooses. Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, TNT Sports, and Sky Kids are all available on 31-day terms.

For the budget conscious it's also now possible to get Sky TV, including their headline channel, Sky Atlantic, for less with Sky Essential TV, which we've also included in the table above.

Read more about Sky TV packages and the Sky Stream box.


Sky Full Fibre 500 vs Gigafast

The next step up from Sky Full Fibre 500 is Sky Full Fibre Gigafast, and it may be worth asking whether the upgrade is worth considering for your home.

Sky Gigafast offers double the download speed of Full Fibre 500, with average speeds of 900Mbps at peak times. Uploads are also faster with average speeds of 90Mbps, compared to 60Mbps with Full Fibre 500.

Package Broadband Monthly price Upfront price Contract term
Full Fibre 500 500Mb average £33 £5 24 months
offer Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable)
Full Fibre Gigafast 900Mb average £43 £5 24 months
offer Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable)

Should you upgrade?

For the extra speed boost of Sky Full Fibre Gigafast, customers pay just £10 more per month.

However, it may only be larger households with more people using the Internet at the same time, or those with multiple people working from home, that will really benefit from the faster speeds.


How does Sky Full Fibre 500 broadband compare?

Despite being a premium provider with market-leading customer service and extra features including Sky TV, many of Sky's broadband deals are currently priced on the cheaper side.

Here's how Sky Full Fibre 500 broadband looks side-by-side against equivalent packages from other providers:

Package Broadband Monthly price Upfront price Contract term
Full Fibre 500 500Mb average £33 £5 24 months
offer Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable)
Full Fibre 500 500Mb average £33.99 Free 24 months
offer Offer: £50 Reward Card + Save over £19/mth + No setup fee + Exclusive offers and discounts for Plusnet customers (Ends 01/01/2025)
M500 Fibre Broadband 516Mb average £33.99 Free 18 months
offer Offer: Reduced price: £35 per month + No setup fee (was £35)
Full Fibre 500 525Mb average £35 Free 18 months
offer Offer: Free setup and P&P

Sky Full Fibre 500 is currently cheaper than equivalent deals from BT and TalkTalk, as well as from budget provider Plusnet and rival Virgin Media.

While Sky include a digital phone line as standard, this isn't an even option with TalkTalk or Plusnet, and BT and Virgin Media customers would have to pay more.

Equipment provided is also worth bearing in mind when comparing costs. Sky include their latest WiFi 6 enabled Sky Max Hub, while deals from Plusnet, BT and Virgin Media come with older WiFi 5 models.

TalkTalk and Vodafone do include a WiFi 6 router with their cheapest 500Mbps full fibre plans, but as mentioned, TalkTalk customers miss out on a home phone line.

It's also possible to access a whole home WiFi guarantee with minimum speeds of 25Mbps with Sky for an extra £4 per month. It's one of the best whole home WiFi guarantees in the market, which can be compared in our full guide.

Overall, Sky Full Fibre 500 combines cheaper prices with good equipment and service extras that would otherwise cost more with rival providers.


How fast is Sky Full Fibre 500 broadband?

Sky Full Fibre 500 broadband offers average download speeds of 500Mbps at peak times, which is between 8pm and 10pm in the evening when the network is busiest.

Average download speed Average upload speed
Sky Full Fibre 500 500Mbps 60Mbps

Average advertised broadband speeds must be received by at least 50% of a provider's customer base during peak hours. So, it's much more reliable measurement than it used to be.

In addition, Sky also provide new customers with estimated speeds based on their individual property when they sign up.

Minimum speed guarantee

Along with a personalised estimated speed, Sky will also provide new customers signing up to Full Fibre 500 with a minimum download speed guarantee.

Estimated download speed Minimum guaranteed speed
Sky Full Fibre 500 470 - 515Mbps 400Mbps

*Estimated speeds and minimum speeds may vary on location.

This guarantee promises that if a customer's speed drops below this minimum for 3 consecutive days or more, and Sky aren't able to fix the issue within 30 days, the customer will be able to exit their broadband contract without penalty.

In addition, customers who sign up to Sky Full Fibre 500 broadband and don't get their minimum download speed can also claim one month's broadband subscription back from Sky, which is unique to most other providers.

When we tested a postcode in Brighton, we were given a minimum download speed of 400Mbps, and an estimated download speed range of 470 to 515Mbps.

WiFi guarantee

Sky offer Full Fibre 500 Broadband customers two WiFi guarantees, although they run separately and can't be used together.

All customers get Sky's free Wall to Wall WiFi Guarantee which promises minimum download speeds over wireless of 3Mbps in every room. If a customer doesn't get this they can claim one month's broadband subscription back.

However, the Wall to Wall WiFi Guarantee doesn't include any WiFi extenders. For this, they'll need to upgrade to the Sky WiFi Max add-on for an extra £4 per month.

Sky WiFi Max promises Full Fibre 500 customers minimum speeds over wireless of 25Mbps in every room, and Sky will provide up to 3 Plume WiFi extenders to achieve this.


What router is included?

Sky Full Fibre 500 broadband now comes with the Sky Max Hub. It's the provider's latest router, having been launched in July 2023.

sky max hub

The Sky Max Hub supports the WiFi 6 protocol, along with updated security using WPA3 encryption. Like it's predecessor, the Sky Max Hub has 8 internal antennae for a strong wireless signal, 4 x 1Gb Ethernet LAN ports, and supports mesh for use with the WiFi Max guarantee.

It's a good upgrade to see Sky now including the Sky Max Hub with all their full fibre broadband packages, especially the faster ones like Full Fibre 500.

Customers with either the Sky Stream box or Sky Glass TV set will benefit as both of these devices support the faster WiFi 6 protocol.


Verdict: Is Sky Ultrafast Plus any good?

Sky Full Fibre 500, previously Ultrafast Plus, is a fast broadband deal that's currently priced competitively in the market, and is one of the cheapest 500Mb plans available.

That's despite the fact Sky is a premium provider with excellent customer service and optional add-ons like Sky TV and a 25Mbps whole home WiFi guarantee.

For larger households, especially those who want to bundle Sky TV, Sky Full Fibre 500 offers an advanced broadband package for a budget friendly price.

We're especially pleased to see Sky now including their latest Sky Max Hub router model with this full fibre broadband plan, and users with Sky Stream or Glass devices should notice an improvement in wireless speeds.

The WiFi Max add-on, which costs just £4 per month, also still offers value for money despite now losing the router upgrade, being one of the better - and cheaper - whole home WiFi guarantees available in the market.

Read more about Sky broadband in our review, as well as how Sky perform head-to-head with Virgin Media.

See all of Sky broadband's latest deals.

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