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Virgin Media broadband vs Sky broadband

Our Broadband Expert says...

Dear Steve, Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) and Sky Broadband (www.Sky.com) are two of the UK’s biggest broadband providers and both have unique packages on offer - Virgin Media offers 50Mb broadband and 100Mb broadband - the UK’s fastest commercially available connection speed, while Sky offers one of the UK’s only truly unlimited broadband package, with no fair usage policy.

Before comparing the two provider’s broadband packages, you should note however, that Sky does not offer any standalone broadband tariffs. If you want to sign up to one of its broadband packages you will have to bundle it with Sky Talk. You might also want to take the ISP’s digital TV, which will reduce the cost of your broadband and could even get you a “free broadband” add on.

While Virgin Media does offer standalone broadband packages, you will be charged more per month if you don’t take its phone line, which costs an additional £13.90 a month.

Broadband packages

Virgin Media offers four broadband packages, with speeds of up to 10Mb, 30Mb, 50Mb and 100Mb. Using its cable network - which is available to around 51% of the UK - it can deliver very fast, reliable connections.

Sky, on the other hand, uses its own local loop unbundled (LLU) network to offer speeds of up to 20Mb broadband, including a 2GB usage package which is free for customers also taking its Sky Talk home phone. Its top package, Sky Unlimited, is one of the few UK broadband tariffs to offer unlimited downloads without restrictions.

Broadband speeds

In terms of headline rates, Virgin Media is way out in front. Both in headline speeds and in actual speeds, however Sky will be adding an up to 40Mb fibre package to its broadband family from April 2012 giving customers seeking a superfast broadband package an extra choice. Initially Sky's fibre option will be available to 30% of the UK population but as BT - whose fibre network Sky are using, expands its network, coverage will increase to two-thirds of the UK by 2014.

However, as well as offering the UK’s fastest headline rates, Virgin Media also regularly ranks top in Ofcom speed tests when it comes to actual delivered speeds. It averaged speeds of 9.3Mb to 9.6Mb on even it's slowest 10Mb connection - and the provider regularly delivers between 85-100% of it's top advertised speeds. this compares to a national average speed of just 6.8Mb (Ofcom, May 2011).

Sky came in further down the list with an average of 6.6Mb to 8.0Mb on it's 20Mb package.

And Virgin Media is not stopping there. The provider plans to double the speeds of its 10Mb and 30Mb connections, and increase both the 50Mb and 100Mb packages to 120Mb by mid-2013.

Download allowances

All of Virgin Media’s broadband packages come with “unlimited” downloads, though its 10Mb L Broadband and the XL 30Mb Broadband packages both have fair usage policies attached.

If you go over your fair usage policy, Virgin Media will slow your connection for a number of hours to limit your downloading.

The 50Mb package currently does not have any traffic management, but this could change as increasing numbers of people sign up.

While Sky’s Unlimited package does not have a fair usage policy, it's Broadband Everyday Lite package offers just 2GB a month, making it only really suitable for occasional users.

If you regularly exceed your set download allowance with Sky, you could be charged for the additional data or be forced to upgrade to a more appropriate - and more expensive - package.

Install our free Broadband Download Monitor to keep an eye on your downloads and make sure that you never exceed your limit.

Broadband prices

It is quite difficult to compare Virgin Media and Sky broadband in terms of price, since you have to take other Sky services in order to get its broadband at all. Both providers also regularly run special offers on their services, which can get you anything from free installation to six months free broadband.

Essentially, Virgin Media offers its broadband at two different prices; one as a standalone product and one when you take it in conjunction with a Virgin Media landline, though you can make further savings when you bundle more products.

See out best buy table for current prices for Virgin Media packages.

Virgin Media’s £13.90 a month landline comes with inclusive weekend UK landline calls.

Sky's line rental is £12.25 a month - cheaper if you pay for 12 months upfront, and comes with Talk Freetime, offering inclusive evening and weekend calls to UK landlines.

See our Sky packages table for current offers and prices.

Compare broadband

Sky and Virgin Media are not the only providers that offer fast, reliable broadband, and if this is your priority, you should also consider O2 and BE Broadband (www.BeThere.co.uk), which are known for their fast downloads, generous fair usage policies and high standards of customer service.

Existing O2 customers can get great discounts, with a 20Mb broadband package for just £10 a month, while BE customers get the option to optimise their broadband packages to suit their individual needs.

TalkTalk Broadband (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) and Plusnet Broadband (www.Plus.net) have also recently launched high-end packages, with speeds of up to 24Mb and "unlimited broadband" downloads or 20Mb and a massive 80GB download allowance, respectively. TalkTalk’s Pro package costs £14.99 a month while Plusnet’s Premium tariff starts at just £11.99 a month, making them both great value deals.

NB Best buy tables (orange background) are always current.

Examples in the text of the article (white background) are correct at time of publication.

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If you have a general switching or provider query please email us at OurExpert@broadbandchoices.co.uk

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