Jitna Baghani | October 21st, 2022

Sky Business broadband review

Known primarily for its unmatched blockbuster TV and entertainment content, Sky also has a solid presence in the residential broadband market. Now Sky has entered the business broadband market with its new service, Sky Business, aimed at getting businesses online. We’ll take a look at what Sky Business offers, and if it’s good value.

Sky aims to bring its broadband offering to UK businesses, with reliable connectivity, quick speeds up to 500Mbps, and the added benefits of fixed price contracts, hassle-free switching, and more. Is Sky Business worth it for your business? Read on to find out.

Key features

Here’s a quick look at the key features of Sky Business business broadband.

Broadband speed and packages

Sky Business offers three different business broadband packages, all available on either 24 or 36 month contracts and Sky’s VoiceEdge digital phone line included. The three packages available are Essential, Pro and Plus. Essential is Sky Business’s entry-level business broadband package, with speeds of up to 76Mbps. Sky’s Pro and Plus packages include download speeds of up to 150Mbps, along with their reliable automatic 4G backup service so your business doesn’t go offline if your broadband does.

Sky Business offers optional ultrafast speeds of up to 500Mbps on its top tier packages, Pro and Plus, for an additional monthly fee through its Speed Flex add-on. The Pro package comes with one phone line, while Plus provides two phone lines. Both include call forwarding, while all of Sky’s Business plans include unlimited UK calls as standard.

Sky Business claims to have the UK’s only business-grade 4G backup service, the Sky Stay Connected Guarantee. This useful feature is included as standard in both the Pro and Plus plans, and offers 4G backup to keep your business connected if your broadband goes offline temporarily. Sky’s 4G connection is always on in the background, and your hub will monitor your connection 24/7, so you can seamlessly switch your connection to Sky’s mobile network if it detects a drop in connectivity.

All Sky Business packages include anti-phishing and malware protection for your broadband network. This protection remains active even if your broadband goes down temporarily and Sky’s 4G backup service kicks in, so your business is protected from malware and phishing while connected to Sky’s 4G network.

It’s important to note that although Sky Business offers a Stay Connected Guarantee, there isn’t an SLA (service level agreement) included in any of their broadband packages. If your business is reliant on using or even providing internet services, it’s important to be aware that if your broadband goes offline temporarily, you will be offline for as long as it takes to get back online, which could have an impact on your business operations.

Sky Business call packages and digital phone lines

The latest phone line technology plugs straight into your broadband using fibre optic cable, as the country continues to phase out copper cables, which powered traditional phone lines until recently. The copper cable infrastructure is outdated and increasingly unreliable, and the UK telecoms industry aims to make the switch entirely to digital phone services with fibre by 2025. Sky already offers full fibre broadband and digital phone services, subject to availability, and luckily both are available to businesses as well.

The emergence of digital phone lines means that soon all landline phone calls will be delivered over your internet connection, similar to Zoom or Skype calls.

All Sky’s business broadband packages include their digital phone line service, subject to availability in your area. The Essential package includes one digital phone line, with unlimited calls and up to 12 voice features. The Pro plan includes the same as Essential, but offers up to 16 voice features; while Plus includes two digital phone lines with all 22 available voice features. Find out what’s available in your area using the postcode checker on this page.

Premium business broadband packages tend to have a static IP included, though Sky Business doesn’t include this as standard on any of its deals. You do have the option to add a static IP service to your package for a set fee plus a small monthly charge.

Is Sky Business broadband fast enough for your needs?

Sky Business Essential Broadband offers download speeds of up to 76Mbps and upload speeds of up to 19Mbps, which could be suitable for small businesses with just a few employees, or for sole traders. You won’t be able to increase your speed with the Essential plan, but both the Pro and Plus plans offer 150Mbps as standard, plus you can opt in to Speed Flex on either plan, which allows you to boost your fibre broadband up to either 300Mbps or 500Mbps for an additional monthly fee. Download speeds of 150Mbps and up might sound excessive, but these days speeds of 300Mbps or even 500Mbps can easily be appropriate for businesses of all sizes.

As full fibre optic becomes more accessible across the UK, lightning-fast speeds are increasingly becoming standard on residential and business broadband packages. Entry-level fibre plans for business broadband are often 76Mbps and higher, while 500Mbps and up have become standard speeds for premium packages from major service providers. A few others, like Virgin Media, offer true gigabit speeds to businesses, but it’s good to consider your usage needs when shopping around. Also keep in mind that advertised speeds are estimated, and won’t likely be available consistently.

Broadband providers offer estimated download speeds to entice customers to sign up for their services, but your actual download and upload speeds will vary. Many factors can impact your actual broadband speeds, including hub capabilities and positioning, congestion due to heavy usage (especially at peak periods), whether you use fibre optic cables into your premises or connect to a communal cabinet with copper cables, and the list goes on. Broadband packages tend to quote average download and upload speeds, but be sure to check the guaranteed speeds as well, so you know what to expect.

Sky Business broadband upload speeds

Sky Business offers a range of available download speeds for business broadband, ranging from up to 76Mbps to up to 500Mbps, but upload speeds are up to 28Mbps across the board on all packages. Other business broadband providers like BT and Virgin Media can offer higher upload speeds, but 28Mbps should be sufficient for many small to medium businesses.

Installation

If you are switching to Sky Business from another Openreach provider, your installation can be managed by Sky, but if you’re switching from Virgin Media, you’ll need to handle the switch yourself. Sky aims to have new broadband customers up and running within 2 weeks of signing up.

If you opt in to the Essential package without add-ons, you should be able to self-install your broadband hub and your digital voice service, but add-ons like 4G backup will require an engineer visit. Sky Business may charge equipment delivery, line activation, and/or installation fees if an engineer visit is required.

Router

All Sky Business customers will receive Sky’s standard Sky Broadband Hub and Voice Hub which can be self-installed if everything is already set up for an Openreach connection. If not, an engineer visit will be required. Sky charges a delivery fee to receive its hub(s) in the post. Self-installation is fairly straightforward, and you can be up and running in a few minutes using Sky’s handy installation guide.

Reliability

Sky Business Broadband is reliable, and offers a solid standard service for businesses. Expect a stable connection, excellent customer service, and the ability to monitor broadband outages on their dedicated Service Status webpage. If you do experience the occasional outage, their 4G Stay Connected backup service will keep your business connected while the issue is resolved.

Customer service

Sky has a reputation for excellent customer service, but this comes at a premium price, and this holds true for Sky Business broadband as well. Sky Business offers live chat services, dedicated account managers with select services, and premium support by phone, though it isn’t the cheapest business broadband provider around. If good customer support is important to you and your business, it’s worth considering Sky Business for your connection.

Conclusion

Sky’s home broadband services are a popular choice for customers looking to bundle internet and TV services, and Sky does not disappoint, but Sky Business is a newcomer to business broadband. Their packages offer reliable connectivity via the Openreach network, great customer support, reassuring extras like Always on 4G backup, and the option to add on a static IP service, but they aren’t the cheapest provider out there.

Sky Business is worth considering for small business, especially if you’re already set up for residential services with Sky or keen to have excellent customer service available. Quick download speeds are available, but upload speeds are limited at up to 28Mbps on all packages, and you will find higher business broadband speeds available from other providers. There are no SLAs available, but if a basic, dependable connection is what your business needs, Sky Business is a solid contender to consider.

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