When comparing Fibrus and Sky Broadband, several key factors come into play: speed, pricing, coverage, and service quality. All the links to the research for this article is included in the further reading sections. Let’s begin by examining the speed.
| Broadband Package | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Superfast 35 | 36 Mbps | 16 Mbps | Was £34.50, now £28 for 18 months |
| Sky Superfast | 61 Mbps | 16 Mbps | £34.50 for 18 months |
| Sky Full Fibre 100 | 100 Mbps | Unspecified | £38 for 18 months |
| Sky Ultrafast Full Fibre | 145 Mbps | 27 Mbps | £38 for 18 months |
| Sky Ultrafast Plus Full Fibre | 500 Mbps | Unspecified | Was £48, now £34 for 18 months |
| Sky Gigafast Full Fibre | 900 Mbps | Unspecified | £58 for 18 months |
| Fibrus Full Fibre 100 | 96 Mbps | Unspecified | £14.99 for 24 months |
| Fibrus Full Fibre 300 | 286 Mbps | Unspecified | £19.99 for 24 months |
| Fibrus Full Fibre 1000 | 946 Mbps | 300 Mbps | £34.99 for 24 months |
| Source: Sky, Fibrus – Updated December 2023 Speed and Pricing for Full Fibre Broadband. | |||
Openreach, which is the network used by Sky, covers around 90% of the UK and 80% of Northern Ireland. The network is significantly expanding ultrafast Full Fibre broadband in Northern Ireland, deploying a dedicated team of 950 engineers to connect over 3,500 homes and businesses each week. This initiative has already enabled access to high-speed broadband for more than 148,000 premises in Belfast and over 775,000 province-wide. Notably, this expansion facilitates broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps (not quite as fast as Fibrus with 2 Gbps capability).
Initially, Sky utilised copper wires for its broadband, which have since been largely replaced by the faster fibre network. However, in some cases, copper wires are still used for the final connection from the street cabinet to homes, impacting speed. In contrast, Sky’s Ultrafast and Gigafast services employ full fibre connections, completely eliminating copper cabling and enabling high speeds of up to 900Mbps.
Fibrus was awarded a Project Gigabit contract for Cumbria in November 2022. Within just six months, residents in Staveley, a location in Cumbria, began experiencing the benefits of this upgraded broadband service. The contract, valued at £108 million, is part of the larger £5 billion Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme across the UK and is the government’s most substantial contract under this programme. The objective of Project Gigabit is to provide gigabit-capable broadband to approximately 60,000 premises in Cumbria, including rural homes and businesses. This effort is particularly significant as it targets areas that might have otherwise missed out on upgrades to faster gigabit speeds.
| Feature | Fibrus Broadband | Sky Broadband |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price per Month | Starting at £14.99 | £25 for Essential, £26 for Superfast, £35 for Ultrafast |
| Initial Setup Cost | No setup fees | £19.95 for all packages |
| Contract Duration | 24-month commitment | 18-month contract for all packages |
| Type of Connection | Exclusively Full Fibre | Varies: Standard Broadband for Essential, Fibre-Optic for Superfast and Ultrafast |
| Range of Download Speeds (Average) | 96Mb, 286Mb, 946Mb | 11Mbps for Essential, 59Mbps for Superfast, 145Mbps for Ultrafast |
| Range of Upload Speeds (Average) | 30Mb, 100Mb, 300Mb | 1Mbps for Essential, 16Mbps for Superfast, 27Mbps for Ultrafast |
| Supplied Router | Amazon eero 6+ / eero Pro 6E | Sky's latest router model |
| WiFi Coverage Guarantee | Available from £7.99/month | Available with Sky Broadband Boost at £5/month |
| Parental Control Features | eero app-based controls | Sky Broadband Buddy included in Boost |
| Home Phone Service Cost | £9.99/month with inclusive calls | Pay As You Go included in all packages |
| Anytime Calls Package | Included in home phone | Additional cost for Sky Talk packages |
Note: Deals on Broadband is a comparison website for broadband providers. We don’t own any services and make a small commission by linking customers to provider websites. Broadband deals and packages change frequently. While we aim to keep all information on this site up-to-date, we strongly recommend checking the current information for each service provider for accurate and recent pricing, information, and terms and conditions.
© 2024 Deals on Broadband
