Loading data...Sky awards
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Best Technical Support
With a dedicated help centre and near 24/7 support, those surveyed appreciated Sky's clear and concise technical... more »
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Best Customer Service
Nearly 70% of those surveyed felt Sky was the best when it came to caring for customers, from offering Sky Hubs to... more »
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Most Recommended Broadband
With good value, reliable broadband and perks like no traffic management on their Unlimited package, 68.5% of... more »
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Best Pay TV
The judges loved the consistently good output from Sky, calling it "the best - and only - place to see the pick of US... more »
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Best TV Service
The panel felt that the sheer range of channels, HD content, extensive sporting coverage, quality of original... more »
Sky features
- Services
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Services
- Fair usage policy
- Support
- Home phone / calls
- Security package
- Mac compatible
- Digital TV
- Free wireless router
- Home broadband
- Fibre optic broadband
- ADSL broadband
- Free Gift Voucher
- Landline
- Sports TV
- True unlimited
- International Calls
- Company history
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Company history
Sky Broadband is part of British Sky Broadband (BSkyB), a company which was formed when Sky Television and BSB merged in 1990. Sky Television pioneered satellite television with their revolutionary Astra satellite and BSB provided similar services to customers in the UK.
Though the company was primarily recognised as a satellite, and subsequently digital, television provider they are now extending into providing broadband services. In 2005, BSkyB took over the ISP Easynet, an active broadband provider across Europe.
Sky has since been at the forefront of UK entertainment innovations. After introducing the UK to interactive TV back in 1998, it followed this up with another first in 2006 with the first-ever nationwide high definition channel in the form of Sky+.
Since then Sky has continued to transform the way we watch TV, with the arrival of online and on-demand TV. 2010 saw the arrival of 3D channels for the first time in UK homes. And in 2011, the company unveiled Sky Go, allowing Sky TV customers to watch live TV on the move on laptops, PC, Mac, Smartphones and tablets.
Alongside the company's offering, its broadband service has consistently grown in scope and scale. 2012 was marked by Sky joining the super-fast revolution with its first-ever fibre broadband products, offering speeds of up to 38Mb.
In 2013, Sky underlined its ambition by agreeing to acquire O2 and Be's broadband subscriber base in a £180 million deal. The transaction saw Sky become the second-largest provider in the UK fixed broadband market, behind BT.
- Customer service
Customer service
Sky’s reputation as a quality service provider is firmly reflected in their highly rated customer support, with knowledgeable and helpful staff on hand to assist with broadband or TV-related queries.
Lines are open 7am-11pm, seven days a week with calls charged at a local rate. Alternatively, for virtual assistance, the online ‘Ask Sky Box’ allows you to type in your query and receive a response without even picking up the phone.
In 2012, Ofcom named Sky the best broadband provider for customer service for the second consecutive year.
- Equipment
Equipment
All Sky broadband packages come with a free Sky Hub – a wireless router to you and me - which means you can surf the net throughout your home. Fitted with Sky Smart Signal technology, it's tailored to give you the best signal available and continuously scans the home for the best wireless channel.
But that's not all. As well as being easy to set up, the Sky Hub stands out for its intelligent power consumption too and automatically switches to low power mode when not in use.
A ‘Get Set’ CD is included with all packages which takes you through the process step by step. Alternatively, a Sky engineer is available for a professional home installation service from just £50.
Sky's broadband service itself is available in standard ADSL and super-fast fibre optic options, which offer maximum speeds of 14Mb and 38Mb respectively. Sky's broadband packages also include unlimited service downloads service to let customers download and stream content without restrictions.
But this provider's real USP lies in the breadth and quality of its Sky TV packages and its broadcast output. With over 240 free-to-air, non-subscription channels that are included with all Sky TV packages, it offers four times as many viewing options as Freeview.
The company's 40 paid-for standard and HD channels, taking in the likes of Sky Atlantic, Sky Movies, HBO and Sky Sports, feature the pick of programming from the US and UK, as well as coverage of crown-jewels sports events and Premier League football.
The Sky Anytime+ on-demand service, meanwhile, makes the network's broadcast output easier to enjoy. With a huge library of box sets, documentaries and kids' shows, plus the latest movies from Sky Movies One and Two, there's a huge array of entertainment on offer.
Sky Go is another of Sky's real USPs and is free to customers signed up to Sky TV packages. This allows users to watch on-demand and live TV online, via their PC, laptop, smartphone over a 3G or Wi-Fi connection.
If you want even more flexibility with your Sky content, you can sign up to Sky Go Extra. Like Sky Go, this offers customers the chance to stream content over 3G and Wi-Fi, but differs by also enabling subscribers to download their favourite shows to enjoy them even where there is no internet connection.
At the 2012 uSwitch Broadband Awards, Sky picked up the award for best TV service. The panel praised Sky for its range of channels, sports coverage, HD content and "pioneering efforts in Sky Go and Sky 3D, made Sky 'best in class' for TV service".
Sky customers also get access to 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK, via the Cloud. Locations include outlets of Caffe Nero, Pizza Express and Wagamama.
- Software features
Software features
McAfee Internet Security Suite is provided with a 12 months’ free subscription (usually £49.99) with all Sky broadband packages. Having the latest in security software means your computer will be protected from online viruses, spam, spyware, and hackers, so you can surf the web with confidence.
The security software also receives constant information on new threats, scams and viruses. For ultimate peace of mind, McAfee’s child-friendly filters also protect the little ones when they are online.
To keep children safe online, Sky also enables parents to regulate and monitor internet access throughout the home with new reporting tools. It's also possible to bar inappropriate programs from Sky's TV electronic program guide.
- Email features
Email features
Sky offer a generous ten email addresses to share with your family in the home, with 200Mb of storage for all those messages, documents and pictures. You will also receive access to Sky’s unique photo website for uploading and saving galleries of high-resolution images.
Transferring to a Sky email account is also made easy through their Contacts Copier, allowing you to copy all of your information to an address book for easy access from your email account.
O2 news
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NewsO2 loses 40.7K home broadband customers in Q1 2013
O2's home broadband customer base contracts during first quarter.
Ewan Taylor-Gibson - 10th May 2013
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NewsO2 signs deal with BT for 4G mobile broadband network
O2 will use BT Wholesale's network to deliver 4G mobile services.
Oliver Folkard - 30th April 2013
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News
O2 and Virgin Media to bring free Wi-Fi to London Underground
O2 customers can now benefit from free Wi-Fi on the London Underground.
Ewan Taylor-Gibson - 10th April 2013
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News
O2 home broadband deals now include £100 M&S voucher
O2's broadband packages now come with a £100 M&S voucher.
Ewan Taylor-Gibson - 9th April 2013
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News
4G mobile broadband will boost UK businesses, says O2
Businesses stand to benefit greatly from 4G mobile broadband, says O2.
Ewan Taylor-Gibson - 26th March 2013
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News
Network will cope with O2 and Be acquisition, says Sky
Sky dismisses concerns over the acquisition of O2 and Be Broadband.
Oliver Folkard - 8th March 2013. 1 comment
Customer reviews
Write a review-
I have used o2 home broadband since July 08, and I have to say that I have never had any significant technical, billing or customer service problems. Customer service is efficient and helpful...I can't fault o2 broadband at all.
yugocent, 11th February 2012
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i took out my o2 broadband from the shop and was told it would be £8.50 per a month. i also have an 02 payg mobile. since then i have nothing but trouble i have been charge £16.50 each month and there custtomer service department are a joke. i am still trying to sort this out 3 months later. deffinetly don't recommend!!!
chris forst, 14th July 2011
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have been with 02 a few years now and the service has always been great
heather johnstone, 5th May 2011
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Had mobile phone from O2 and you get quite good discount when you get broadband too. Would def recommend.
Sharon Cartwright, 11th November 2010
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I've been an O2 customer for four years. Only really use my dongle for emailing and light surfing. But it's never let me down yet.
danny roberts, 19th May 2010
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Been with O2 since way back. It's a good, solid service.
I work away a lot and the mobile broadband coverage hasn't let me down yet.
carlos dominguez, 25th April 2010
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O2 have said when my broadband checker finnished..."your area is not currently able to use our broadband service" yet I currently have broadband with Bt, how come O2 cant provide the same! or is it a case of bt trying to hinder other providers from giving choice?
N Mackenzie, 14th December 2009
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Why it is so bad???? I mean why it is soooo bad?
I have no idea why o2 is soooo much overrated. What's the reason to buy a broadband that works NEVER after 17:00?
What's the reason to sign with a company and when you need help to wait for an hour on the phone and get a clueless person to tell you all the time "your problem is interferance"?
I honestly from deep inside me think o2 is the worst broadband provider in the uk if not in the whole world.
Michael, 1st December 2009
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My purchase of the O2 dongle in July this year went very smoothly. However, when I received the dongle I found out that I had no signal in my flat and the dongle was therefore of no use to me. I therefore sent it back and asked for a refund.
Before doing so, I rang O2 to make sure that I was doing everything correctly. And they told me that I just had to return the dongle with a letter including my bank details so that they could refund me. Simple as that. Yeah right.
Its now October and I still haven't had my refund. Ive called O2 a number of times and they always tell me that the money will be in my account in a few days time... it never turns out to be true. I understand that they are trying to make the refund process so annoying and difficult in the hope that I will eventually give up and just say that they can keep my money. But the last thing I want to do is to give my money to a company that shows such incompetence when it comes to treating their customers right.
Thorhildur, 20th October 2009
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worst ever service, got 1 month rolling b roadband conection and recieved a bill $197 cant login with my passwords requested another still wont let me log on, constant conection failure, site will not let me see my bill as it was not deliverd securely. canceling today
stephen dixon, 22nd June 2009
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I have been an O2 mobile phone user for quite a number of years now, and so when my Tiscali broadband became impossible to use I transferred over to O2 for around £7.50 per month - a bargain.
Nearly a year on and I have moved house now to Yaxley and whilst waiting for O2 to set up my broadband I purchased a mobile usb stick from them as they assured me this would be the wisest thing to do and allow me broadband cover whilst in limbo on my landline...
Jeanette Goodman, 23rd May 2009
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After 5 good tyears with Eclipse Internet (I'm not slagging them off here at all) I saw the O2 offering just before Christmas. I decided to go for it - and have never regretted my move. I get average 16-17 download and 1 upload. Customer Service is 0n 0800 and you can understand the nice and helpful people at the other end - they don't read unintelligible 'scripts' to you. When my T-Mobile phone contract ends in July, I will be moving that to O2 as well. Highly recommended.
Alan Martin, 7th May 2009
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I got the O2 dongle after a couple of my friends had had problems with other dongles from other providers. From what I can work out, no mobile broadband gives you 100% of the achievable speed of service all of the time, but I've not run into any problems so far - I use it on the train all over the country and have always been able to do what I need to.
Neil Smart, 16th March 2009
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I live in a shared house with 4 other people who all use the internet on a wireless network. I have been an O2 customer for almost a year without a hitch - we have had trouble with our connection and internet provider in the past, because there are so many of us using our network for downloading stuff at the same time but so far so good with O2 - I'd reccomend them!
Natalie Harding , 16th March 2009
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o2 nearly useless..5-6 weeks with mobile dongle connection..told I would get up to 3.2 mbps..has never run at over 150kbs..in the afternoon it goes off...at this moment 07.26am..35kbs.with interuptions..thats right 1%of advertised speed...trading standards here I come.....I just found out that I must give the service at least one star on the rating or it will not accept my review..so one star....
justin moris, 19th February 2009
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O2 is the worst broadband provider I have been with, very slow speeds and disconnections every day. Customer service was very poor and then after 3 months of complaints every day to them they basically told me to find another provider but made me pay the rest of the contract plus £35 compensation to them for leaving early then 2 months later sent me another bill for the o2 broadband box which was £45. I just paid as I wanted to get away from them asap and contacted Trading Standards who have taken the Issue on as o2 have broken several laws when dealing with my complaint. Now back with Tiscali and no more problems.
Gareth, 16th February 2009
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O2 is not as good as it sounds; the customer service is in the UK, that's fine but unlimited download with O2 isn't unlimited at all. I got capped for downloading 30G - I don't call that unlimted at all! They told me 2 leave the service as i used p2p software.They were checking everything I was downloading which I think is not fair at all. I've now gone back with tiscali broadband and they are not too bad at all. DON'T GO WITH O2 BROADBAND IF YOU USE P2P AND DOWNLOAD A LOT!!!
tony , 15th January 2009
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This is the fastest ADSL service I've ever had - BT say I can get 500k max on my line, so I switched to O2 and I now get 2.5 meg and sometimes over that.
chris, 24th November 2008
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Great service! ordered last week was up and running with in 5 days including the weekend, fastest broadband I've ever had, faster than virgin media's standard cable
Dave, 22nd October 2008
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Best Internet I had so far in the UK. My previous ISP couldn't give me 8meg download and 1meg upload. O2 does!!! And all this for £7.50 / month. Great stuff, no dropping connection no slow down, just great since June 08
Louis-Philippe Descamps, 29th September 2008
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O2 Broadband is amazing at only £10 for 16mb! I've had a few problems with my connection cutting off every now and then, but I called O2's very good customer service from the UK, and figured out that the problem was something to do with my phone line. So I've got nothing to complain about O2 :-). It's much better than my previous broadband providers; Wanadoo, Orange and Eclipse.
Jonny, 16th September 2008
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I can not fault O2 broadband at all. They even phoned me to tell me I was receiving a slower connection than I was paying for (it seemed pretty fast to me!). They tried to fix it but when it was deemed that it was outside their control (I think they said something about the BT line) they put me on a lower price plan. They instigated all this - phenomenal customer service!
Andy, 12th September 2008
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I've been with Virgin and Sky and now I've just moved to O2 and I'm already highly impressed. The price is fantastic with no catches, broadband goes at its optimum speed, it is compatible with Macs, the helpline is free and the guys are incredibly helpful!
Arron, 20th August 2008
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Five stars. O2 is an excellent ISP offering hassle free, first class service. I highy recommended it.
susan wilkes, 5th July 2008
