Which is Best? Sky Broadband or BT Broadband

Sky broadband download speeds

• 59Mbps (Superfast)
• 59Mbps (Superfast/with Wifi guarantee)
• 145Mbps (Ultrafast)

Both offer unlimited Standard broadband, much much lower than fibre with speeds averaging 10 to 11Mbps.

BTs Full Fibre is not available everywhere, you will need to check your postcode to see if it is indeed available where you live.

Price comparison

There really isn’t a lot of difference between the two providers when it comes to pricing. Both regularly have offers and deals but it is worth noting here that BT contract terms do tend to be longer, being tied in therefore to the price for longer. When you are ready to go ahead with setting up or upgrading your broadband it is definitely worth shopping around.

Fees and charges

BT –   Free installation and free router on all broadband packages.

Sky – Set up fee is currently £19.95 which includes the router and connection charge.

Most customers will already have an active landline, however if a new landline is required charges will apply. Sky is one of the cheapest providers when it comes to a new line, just £20 whereas BT charges £140!

Contract term comparison

BT –   Most BT contracts are 24 months but there a few that are 18 months 

Sky – 18 months

BT broadband inclusive extras

Included in BT’s broadband deals

• Protection for your family, files and devices with free parental controls, virus protection and access to BT Cloud whereby photos, videos, documents and any other files are automatically backed up
• Line rental is included (call packs are extra)
• Access to the BT wifi hotspots of which there are over five million
• A stay fast guarantee (promised speeds or £20 back)
• My BT app which is an easy way to check your usage, track your payments and manage your personal details
• BT broadband customers can access BT Sport via the app
• Unlimited broadband as standard
• Dedicated UK and Ireland based support

Sky broadband inclusive extras

Sky broadband customers can expect the following –

• Sky Shield (parental controls and anti malware)
• Access to wifi hotspots across the UK
• A speed guarantee (if the performance drops below the minimum speed then you may be entitled to money back)
• Line rental is included (call packages can be added)
• A range of bundle deals that combine broadband, TV and phone which can offer great value
• Unlimited broadband as standard
• Detailed help guides and articles online, something Sky consider to be a much faster way to resolve any issues you may be having

Broadband routers

BT broadband router

The BT Smart Hub (formerly known as the BT Home Hub) comes with all fibre broadband packages, however should a customer sign up to upgrade to BT Halo (formerly known as BT Plus) then they will receive the latest addition to the range of BT routers, the BT Smart Hub 2. It is BT’s most advanced hub yet and with it you get broadband backed up by EE’s mobile network via what they’re calling Hybrid Connect. It works hand in hand with the Smart Hub 2 automatically connecting you to the EE network if needed. In other words if broadband cuts out then the Hybrid Connect will kick in resulting in BT making a bold statement of this being the UKs first unbreakable WiFi. Frustratingly though when you’re connected to the Hybrid Connect device all subscription extra TV channels won’t work, just the Freeview channels. The only way to watch the subscription channels whilst connected is via the TV app and BT Sport via the BT Sport app.

The Smart Hub 2’s unique features include 7 antennas positioned in a way to maximise power, smart channel selection and app based services that help with the set up and management of home WiFi.

All BT Halo customers can add Complete WiFi to their package – a guarantee to get a strong signal in every room.

Smart hubs are considered to fit through the majority of letter boxes so there is no need to worry about being home when one is delivered.

Sky broadband router

Customers who subscribe to a Sky broadband package will receive the Sky broadband Hub as standard. Should a customer sign up or upgrade to include Sky TV with their broadband then they will receive the Sky Q hub which is horizontally designed and specific to the Sky TV service. Both routers have smart power technology which help to boost performance and improve speed and coverage around the home. The new Sky broadband hub, introduced in 2019 is available to those customers that sign up to a Superfast or Ultrafast package or have added the Sky broadband boost option (*) The new design is much sleeker and vertically aligned.

*Broadband Boost is an optional extra for Sky broadband customers, this includes engineer visits at a time/date convenient to the customer at no extra cost and daily checks on the line to ensure a reliable connection.

Is BT or Sky the most reliable broadband provider?

Within the Ofcom Customer Satisfaction Tracker 2021 81% of BT customers asked about the reliability of their service were satisfied compared with 80% of Sky customers asked the same question. When considering the average was 78% for broadband customers overall both BT and Sky have surpassed this.

Who has the best customer service? Sky broadband or BT broadband?

Ofcom’s fifth annual report on service levels across the sector was published on the 7th May this year and makes for interesting reading, especially considering the times we are in and how broadband has become more important to customers during the pandemic.

Eight in ten broadband customers reported they were satisfied with their service overall with satisfaction rates for both Sky and BT equaling each other at 80%.

Satisfaction with speed of service also equals out at 80% between the two providers.

Sky has fared better with average call waiting times but only by a very small margin, 3 minutes 21 seconds compared to BTs 3 minutes and 28 seconds. It is important to note here that all broadband providers average call waiting times increased during the year 2020 as a result of the pandemic on call centre operations.

When looking at the results for overall satisfaction with complaint handling, Sky resulted in 59% compared to BTs 55% however it is when you consider the average of all broadband results was 52%, Sky have the biggest statistical difference.

Unchanged from 2019, Sky was more likely than the sector average (52%) to resolve a complaint completely on first contact with a result of 59%.