Good news coming from Sky – as it has announced that it planned on expanding its broadband services to a shiny 88 per cent of the nation by June 2013.
Let’s talk numbers: at the moment, Sky provides services to roughly 3,651,000 homes around the country and in Q3 of 2011 alone it added 166,000 new subscribers.
The telecoms titan has now revealed that in April it is planning to start rolling out its own fibre optic offering (based on FTTC) which would provide speeds of up to 40Mbps.
Meanwhile, the firm is keen on expanding its public Wi-Fi hotspots.
MD of Sky’s Sales and Marketing, Stephen van Rooyen, said in a statement:
“Sky is reaching more homes than ever and those homes are taking more products from us.
“However, we are a business built on innovation and we have a very exciting year ahead, whether with the launch of a brand new internet TV service, supercharging Sky Anytime+ or adding fibre and free WiFi to the UK’s fastest growing broadband service.”
Without further ado, more information on Sky’s fibre plans is as follows:
Sky’s fibre broadband would be based on BT’s FTTC technology and will cost £20 a month along with a one-off set up fee of £50.
However, Broadbandwatcher would like to remind you that BT is planning to upgrade its FTTC offering to 80Mbps which means that Sky is going to follow.
According to Sky’s ambition, the packages will come with unlimited usage and no FUP is going to be applied (i.e. ISPs making speeds slower at peak hours).
Some keen news followers might recall that last year Sky bought The Cloud, a wireless broadband platform, which the company plans to put into use as soon as this spring. This means that Sky Broadband customers will be able to take advantage of free Wi-Fi in roughly 10,000 hotspots throughout the UK.
Sky is also planning to launch a new Internet TV service (i.e. accessing Sky Movies via PAYG or a monthly basis).
What else is Sky missing? Perhaps a mobile network? It could easily join the likes of Virgin Media and take away the title of the “only” quad-play bundle provider from the cable giant…
This adds even more to the frustration of UK Superfast Fibre Broadband roll-out. Products and services being added to the have and have-nots areas for good measure.
Sky is new to Tavistock Telephone Exchange – just in time to ensure the daily torture of associated advertising for superfast broadband and these products has maximum impact, as they are dangled in front of the digital desert peasantry residing in West Devon.