Broadband News

Sky ditches fair usage policy

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Sky has removed the fair usage policy from its Max Broadband package, allowing it to offer a truly “unlimited” service.

The digital TV provider’s Max product is its top broadband product, offering speeds of up to 16Mb for £10 a month when bundled with one of Sky's (www.Sky.com) digital TV packages.

It previously had a very flexible fair usage policy, but having removed it on the Max product completely users can now download movies, music and television programmes to their heart’s content, though as the UK’s fastest growing broadband provider, if Sky’s Max product gains even more popularity congestion may increase, slowing download speeds.

Sky Max is only available to users living within its local loop unbundled (LLU) area and unfortunately for those taking the ISP’s Sky Connect package at £17 a month with Sky TV and which runs on BT's (www.BT.com) copper wires rather than Sky’s own LLU network, Sky has decided to balance things out by adding traffic management to the package which already has a 40GB monthly allowance.

ISPs put fair usage clauses into their terms and conditions to stop a minority of heavy downloaders from hogging all the bandwidth and slowing down the connection of the 49 other people that usually share an ADSL line, explained Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director.

“Many people with an ‘unlimited’ broadband connection still don’t realise that they’re subject to a fair usage policy,” he said. “But almost every package available has a policy that allows the ISP to throttle your download speed or force you to upgrade to a more suitable - and more expensive - package if you regularly exceed the policy’s limits.

“There are very few broadband packages that offer a truly ‘unlimited’ service - and until now none of them have been affordable to the average user. Sky’s Max broadband customers will no doubt be delighted to hear that they can now download as much as they want without the risk of exceeding their fair usage limits - and for just £10 a month, it really is a great deal.

“However, as increasing numbers of heavy downloaders are attracted to this product, older customers might start to notice slower speeds and Sky’s network feels the strain,” warned Phillips.

“And those customers on the Sky Connect package are unlikely to see this as fair,” he concluded. “They already have a set download allowance and will now face traffic management while those living in LLU areas enjoy cheaper, better broadband with no fair usage policy.”

Related article - LLU broadband.