Sky broadband users may soon find their downloads arrive at a much more rapid rate. That’s because the company has started to test an all-new fibre broadband service that it claims will make internet speeds faster and more reliable. It was recently rumoured that Sky would begin rolling out its full-fibre (FTTP) packages sometime this month… and that now appears to becoming a reality.
According to ISPreview, Sky is starting trials of this new broadband network, which uses next-generation fibre cables compared to the older copper cabling some if its customers currently rely on. Starting these test is a good sign that Sky is close to rolling out its faster internet service soon.
Until now, Sky was only able to offer its best speeds via a hybrid fibre connection called G.fast. Although this technology is quicker than ageing copper cables, it still can’t quite match full fibre being plugged directly into living rooms.
ISPreview says only a handful of homes are currently getting access to Sky’s new service but hopefully this initial test means a larger rollout is on its way soon.
Although not confirmed, it seems once customers have this Ultrafast upgrade installed, they will be able to download movies, files and music at over 285Mbps – that’s around twice as fast as Sky’s current top speed and five times quicker than the UK average.
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With a 285Mbps connection, you’d be able to download a full HD film in under three minutes. Along with being much quicker, there is another bonus with having full fibre as it should help offer a much more reliable connection with speeds not suffering as more people log on and use it.
There’s no word on when homes across the UK will get Sky’s full fibre broadband but the company has confirmed that it is committed to rolling out FTTP in 2020 and that’s still the case.
Although this update from Sky is good, the firm still lags some way behind the likes of BT and Virgin Media. Both of these suppliers have begun rolling out their 1Gbps which is capable of downloading a movie in under a minute.
Virgin’s Gig1 is now available in areas including Southampton, Reading, Greater Manchester and across the West Midland.
BT is offering its Full Fibre 100 in areas including Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Leeds, London and Manchester. Prices for these services start from £59.99 for BT customers and £62 if Virgin is your chosen supplier.
