Sky update full fibre broadband line-up

Sky have renamed their broadband packages to align them with the wider market, changing plans like 'Superfast' to 'Full Fibre 75', and 'Ultrafast Plus' to 'Full Fibre 500'.

The provider says the move should help consumers better compare products on a like-for-like basis, and it's a naming convention they've already implemented on budget-brand NOW.

Other changes to the line-up include bundling the new WiFi 6 enabled Sky Max Hub on all full fibre packages as standard.

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Full fibre renamed

Sky broadband packages have been renamed to align them with the naming conventions of other full fibre broadband providers.

The move follows a slow integration by Sky of 'Full Fibre X' plans after they launched a Full Fibre 100 plan in October 2023, which subsequently became NOW Broadband's first full fibre package.

The new names see 'Superfast' become 'Full Fibre 75', while 'Ultrafast' becomes 'Full Fibre 150', and 'Ultrafast Plus' becomes 'Full Fibre 500'. The only plan with some resemblance to its previous name is their Gigafast package, which will now be called 'Full Fibre Gigafast', unlike the 'Full Fibre 900' name used by BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk, and Vodafone.

Part-fibre - or fibre-to-the-cabinet - packages are keeping their current names, including Superfast 35, Superfast, and Ultrafast - where G.Fast technology is available at the cabinet.

As well as aligning Sky with other broadband providers including BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk, and Vodafone, the move also provides greater clarity for consumers when signing up to a full fibre package, something which brings their naming convention in line with new rules from Ofcom, due to come into force in just a few days on 16th September 2024.

Back in December 2023, Ofcom ruled providers must ensure broadband is sold as 'full fibre' or 'part-fibre', with the term 'fibre' no longer allowed to be used on its own.

While the names 'Superfast' and 'Ultrafast' aren't in breach of these new rules, it stands to reason having the same name for both a part-fibre and full fibre connection could confuse customers as to what technology they're signing up for, which is the underlying reason behind Ofcom's new regulation.

At the time, Ofcom research found as many as 25% of broadband customers weren't confident understanding the terminology used by providers, and as many as 46% of customers believed they had a 'full fibre' connection when they actually lived in areas where full fibre wasn't yet available.

Sky Max Hub

As well as updating the package names, Sky have also made a pleasing change to include their new Sky Max Hub with all full fibre broadband plans as standard.

While the Sky Max Hub router launched back in July 2023, it's only been available to customers who take the WiFi Max add-on at an additional cost, which was originally priced between £7.50 and £10 per month.

Recently, we've seen the WiFi Max add-on reduce in price to as little as £3 extra per month on full fibre plans, which perhaps signalled the eventual removal of the router upgrade to a standard piece of kit.

Customers can still take WiFi Max for £3 per month, but it'll now only include the WiFi guarantee - up to 25Mbps - and updates to the MySky app including improved parental controls and Advanced Security tools.

Although, it's worth saying, even without the router upgrade, at £3 per month the whole home WiFi guarantee offers good value for money compared to other providers.

Sky Max Hub supports the WiFi 6 protocol, which is also supported on Sky devices including Sky Stream and Sky Glass for faster wireless connections, so we've always thought it makes sense that Sky broadband customers should benefit from this without extra costs involved.

While Sky Superfast customers in part-fibre areas will still get the Sky Broadband Hub as standard, they can still upgrade to the Sky Max Hub with the WiFi Max add-on.