Sky 1.6Gbps, checked 1 October 2026 A keen price for the fastest Openreach tier. Most homes won't use it. What Sky launched The reality check Sky launched Full Fibre 1.6Gbps on 28 September 2026, from £38 a month for new Sky Broadband customers on Openreach's network, which Sky says reaches 79% of UK homes. That undercuts EE's 1.6Gbps package, so if you need this tier it's a keen price. Most homes don't need it, though. Only 21% of full fibre customers even take 900Mbps or faster, a 4K Netflix stream needs 15Mbps, and any device on a standard 1Gbps port can't use more than about 1Gbps however fast the line is. For most households the smart buy is a 150 to 500Mbps package, or Sky's own 900Mbps Gigafast at £28 if you want headroom. Work out the speed you need, then compare at your postcode. Key facts, verified 1 October 2026 Who this is for: Anyone who has seen the Sky 1.6Gbps headlines and wondered whether faster is worth paying for. If you're choosing a new package this autumn, this is the honest version. Direct answer: Sky Full Fibre 1.6Gbps, its fastest package on the Openreach network, launched on 28 September 2026 from £38 a month for new Sky Broadband customers. Sky says it reaches 79% of UK homes. Sky is late to this tier, but keen on price. Openreach's 1.8Gbps wholesale product went on general sale in April 2024, and EE launched a 1.6Gbps package back in 2023, according to ISPreview. Sky's £38 starting price now undercuts EE's current £42.99. One gap to watch: on 1 October 2026 Sky's website listed average and minimum speeds for every tier except this one, so ask for them before you sign. Direct answer: Probably not. Only 21% of full fibre customers take 900Mbit/s or faster, and more than half are on packages under 300Mbit/s. Everyday streaming, calls and browsing use a small fraction of a gigabit. What speed full fibre customers actually buy Speeds have been rising faster than demand. Ofcom found average household data use grew by 10% in a year while average top speeds rose by 28%. For most homes, the right tier comes from adding up the busiest moment of the evening, which the speed calculator does for you. Direct answer: Only in the right conditions. Sky measures speed to the hub, not to your devices, and anything on Wi-Fi or a standard 1Gbps Ethernet port tops out well below 1.6Gbps. From the street to your sofa: where 1.6Gbps gets squeezed ↓ then from the hub to each device Sky is clear about this in its own small print: its average speeds are for the line to the hub and exclude Wi-Fi, which varies by device and home. EE says the same about its speed guarantee, and Vodafone says its top speed is achieved over a wired connection. The Gigafast+ hub has one 10Gbps port and three 1Gbps ports, so most wired devices can't use more than about 1Gbps on their own. How long a 100GB game takes to download That last row is the one to remember. If the device doing the downloading has a 1Gbps port, as many consoles and laptops do, 1.6Gbps saves about 38 seconds on a 100GB game compared with a 900Mbps line. Try your own numbers on the download time calculator. Direct answer: Homes where several people regularly download very large files at the same time, with Wi-Fi 7 devices or wired kit that can use more than 1Gbps. For everyone else, it's headroom you'll rarely touch. Is 1.6Gbps for you? It makes sense if Skip it if Direct answer: For most homes, a 150 to 500Mbps package, or Sky's 900Mbps Gigafast at £28 if you want headroom. Stepping up from Gigafast to 1.6Gbps costs £10 a month, or £240 over a 24-month contract. Price per Mbps always falls as you go faster, so it's a poor guide on its own. The useful number is the step-up cost: £10 a month more for speed that a 1Gbps device can't use. Over two years, and allowing for price rises, Sky's 1.6Gbps comes out cheaper than EE's, though EE publishes a minimum speed guarantee and fixed rises that Sky hadn't published for this tier. Estimated 24-month cost, contracts starting 1 October 2026 Remember the bigger saving too. Ofcom says customers in contract pay £7 to £9 a month less than those out of contract, so if you're past your end date, almost any new deal is likely to beat what you pay now. Our guide to out-of-contract prices explains why. See every speed and price that reaches your address. Direct answer: On Openreach, Sky's 1.6Gbps is cheaper than EE's. On other networks, Vodafone, Virgin Media, Sky's own CityFibre tiers and some local networks offer 2Gbps or more, often with faster uploads, where they've built. If upload matters to you, the network matters more than the brand. Sky's 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps Gigafast+ tiers on CityFibre are symmetrical, meaning upload matches download, and Virgin Media offers a symmetrical option on its full fibre. Availability is address by address, so compare at your postcode. Direct answer: Partly. Sky offers up to £200 of account credit towards the monthly payments your old provider charges after you leave, once you've paid them and sent proof within 90 days. Sky's leaving-fee credit: how it works Source: Sky's offer terms on sky.com, checked 1 October 2026. Whether it covers your exit fee depends on how long you have left. For example, eight months left at £30 a month is £240, so £200 covers about 83% of it; four months left at £30 would be covered in full (our arithmetic). Our guide to avoiding exit fees covers your options. Direct answer: Good on Ofcom's complaints measure. In January to March 2026 Sky generated 5 fixed broadband complaints per 100,000 customers, below the industry average of 6, and Ofcom named Sky and Plusnet as the least complained-about. Fixed broadband complaints per 100,000 customers, January to March 2026 Complaints are one measure among several, and they move from quarter to quarter. Our report The Complaints Floor looks at the wider picture. One thing to note on price: Sky doesn't typically set out its yearly price rises in its contracts, and it raised broadband prices by £3 a month in April 2026, according to Ofcom. Our guide to 2026 price rises covers what each provider does. Direct answer: Neither gets much better on 1.6Gbps. Upload on the Openreach tier is about 120Mbps, against 90Mbps on Sky's 900Mbps Gigafast, and lag in online games depends mainly on the distance and route to the game server, not your download speed. If you upload a lot, a symmetrical service is the real upgrade. If you game online, a wired connection and a well-placed router do more for lag than a faster package. Our explainer on latency, jitter and packet loss shows what to look for. Direct answer: Work out the speed you need, check your devices can use it, compare what reaches your postcode, and time the switch to your contract. The smart buy, in four steps Size it Use the speed calculator to add up your busiest moment. More than half of full fibre customers choose packages under 300Mbps (Ofcom). Check your kit Look at your devices' Wi-Fi standard and Ethernet ports. If Wi-Fi is the weak link, check your router placement with RouterMap before paying for speed. Compare See what reaches your postcode, including Sky's 900Mbps tier, EE and any symmetrical networks. Check the average speed, minimum guarantee and upload for each. Time it Check your contract end date and any exit charge. If you switch to Sky, keep proof of what your old provider charges you for the credit, and read our guide to avoiding exit fees. Free and independent. Prices vary by address. In summary Adrian's closing thought I'm glad Sky has priced the top Openreach tier this sharply, because competition at the top tends to drag prices down further along the ladder too. But speed is the easiest thing in broadband to oversell, and most of the families I talk to would be better off spending that extra tenner on a good router position or a mesh point in the back bedroom. Buy for your busiest evening, not for the number on the advert, and you'll be happy with the result. Size it Compare it Know someone tempted by the fastest package? Send them this first. You are welcome to quote and link to this article. Please credit BroadbandSwitch.uk and link to this page. In a sentence: Sky launched Full Fibre 1.6Gbps on 28 September 2026 from £38 a month for new customers on Openreach's network, but Ofcom data shows only 21% of UK full fibre customers take 900Mbit/s or faster, and because Sky measures speed to the hub, devices on Wi-Fi or standard 1Gbps ports cannot use the full 1.6Gbps. It's Sky's fastest broadband on the Openreach full fibre network, launched on 28 September 2026. It uses Openreach's 1.8Gbps wholesale tier and comes with Sky's Wi-Fi 7 Gigafast+ hub. It starts from £38 a month on a 24-month contract for new Sky Broadband customers, and a set-up fee of up to £19.95 may apply. Prices vary by address and change often, so check at your postcode. Sky says 79% of UK homes can get it on the Openreach network, while thinkbroadband estimates 74% of all premises. You'll need to check your address. Probably not. Only 21% of full fibre customers take 900Mbit/s or faster, according to Ofcom, and a 4K Netflix stream needs 15Mbps. It suits homes where several people download very large files at the same time. Not on a single typical device. Sky measures its speeds to the hub, excluding Wi-Fi, and devices on standard 1Gbps Ethernet ports top out at about 1Gbps. Sky hasn't published its own figure yet. The Openreach tier it uses provides up to about 120Mbps upload, and EE advertises 115Mbps on the same tier. Existing Sky TV, mobile and smart home customers can buy it now as new broadband customers. Existing Sky Broadband customers can't yet; Sky says they'll be able to upgrade at a later date. Sky offers up to £200 of account credit towards the monthly payments your old provider charges after you leave. You pay your old provider first and send Sky proof within 90 days. It's faster to the hub, but at £38 against £28 for Sky's 900Mbps Gigafast, most homes won't notice the difference. On a device with a 1Gbps port, a 100GB download is only about 38 seconds quicker. Sky is cheaper, from £38 a month against EE's £42.99 plus £30 upfront. EE publishes a 1.3Gbps minimum speed guarantee and fixed yearly rises, which Sky hadn't published for this tier on 1 October 2026. EE and Sky offer 1.6Gbps on Openreach, Vodafone offers up to 2.2Gbps, Virgin Media offers 2Gbps on its nexfibre network, Sky offers 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps on CityFibre, and some local networks sell 2Gbps or more. Availability depends on your address. Add up your home's busiest moment, such as several streams, calls and downloads at once, and allow some headroom. More than half of full fibre customers choose packages under 300Mbps, according to Ofcom, and a speed calculator does the sum for you. Written by Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk (LinkedIn). Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, Founder (LinkedIn). Published 1 October 2026. BroadbandSwitch.uk is an independent comparison site. This article isn't sponsored, and deals are listed by price, lowest first. Corrections are logged publicly.Sky's new 1.6Gbps full fibre: who needs it, and what's the smart buy?
What has Sky launched?
What Detail Source Launched 28 September 2026 Sky Group Price From £38 a month, 24-month minimum term Sky Group; sky.com Set-up Up to £19.95 may be charged (£9.95 router delivery, £10 activation) sky.com Who can buy it New Sky Broadband customers, including existing Sky TV, mobile and smart home customers. Existing Sky Broadband customers later Sky Group Network Openreach full fibre, 1.8Gbps wholesale tier ISPreview Upload About 120Mbps on the Openreach tier. Sky hasn't published its own figure yet ISPreview; sky.com Router Sky Gigafast+ hub, tri-band Wi-Fi 7 Sky Group Leaving fees Up to £200 account credit, with conditions (see below) Sky Group; sky.com After 24 months Your price becomes the price you paid just before the term ended, plus £5 sky.com Not yet published Average speed, minimum guaranteed speed and promotion end date for this tier sky.com, checked 1 October 2026 Do you need 1.6Gbps broadband?
Household Busiest moment What it needs Sensible tier Living alone One 4K stream plus browsing Netflix needs 15Mbps for 4K 75 to 150Mbps Couple working from home Two HD video calls and a 4K stream Zoom lists 1.2Mbps up and down per one-to-one HD call 150 to 300Mbps, and check the upload Family of four, streaming and gaming Three 4K streams and a console download 3 × 15Mbps = 45Mbps, plus the download (our arithmetic) 500 to 900Mbps Creator uploading big files Large uploads Upload is about 120Mbps on Sky 1.6Gbps against 90Mbps on Gigafast A symmetrical service, not this tier Heavy multi-device downloaders Several big downloads at once, Wi-Fi 7 or multi-gig wired kit Needs more than 1Gbps in total 1.6Gbps, or a multi-gig network Will you actually get 1.6Gbps at home?
Who does 1.6Gbps make sense for?
What's the smart buy?
Tier Average speed (down / up) New-customer price Source Full Fibre 75 75Mbps / 16Mbps From £24 Sky Group, 28 September 2026 Full Fibre 100 to 500 100 to 500Mbps Check at your postcode Sky shows these prices only after an address check Full Fibre Gigafast 900Mbps / 90Mbps £28, no set-up fee, new-customer price until 14 October 2026 sky.com, checked 1 October 2026 Full Fibre 1.6Gbps Not yet published by Sky From £38 Sky Group, 28 September 2026 2.5 and 5 Gigafast+ 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps, symmetrical Check at your postcode; CityFibre areas only (14% of UK homes, Sky's figure) sky.com How does Sky compare with other faster-than-1Gbps options?
Provider and network Speed Price Where Sky (Openreach) 1.6Gbps down, about 120Mbps up From £38 79% of UK homes (Sky) EE (Openreach) 1.6Gbps down, 115Mbps up, 1.3Gbps minimum guarantee £42.99 plus £30 upfront, rising £4 each March Openreach full fibre areas Vodafone (CityFibre and Openreach) Up to 2.2Gbps, achieved over a wired connection From £36; check which speed applies at your address Full fibre areas Virgin Media (nexfibre) 2Gbps, with an optional symmetrical upgrade Check at your postcode nexfibre full fibre areas Sky Gigafast+ (CityFibre) 2.5Gbps or 5Gbps, symmetrical Check at your postcode 14% of UK homes (Sky) Local full fibre networks Some sell 2Gbps or more where they've built Check at your postcode Local footprints only Will Sky pay your leaving fees?
What's Sky's service record like?
What about upload speed and gaming lag?
What should I do now?
Keep going: the guides behind this article
Share this article
Cite this page
James, A. (2026, October 1). Sky's new 1.6Gbps full fibre: who needs it, and what's the smart buy? BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/insights/sky-1-6gbps-full-fibre-who-needs-it/ Frequently asked questions
What is Sky Full Fibre 1.6Gbps?
How much is Sky 1.6Gbps broadband?
Can I get Sky 1.6Gbps at my address?
Do I need 1.6Gbps broadband?
Will I get 1.6Gbps over Wi-Fi?
What upload speed does Sky 1.6Gbps have?
Can existing Sky customers upgrade to 1.6Gbps?
Will Sky pay my leaving fees?
Is 1.6Gbps better than 900Mbps?
How does Sky 1.6Gbps compare with EE 1.6Gbps?
Which providers offer faster than 1Gbps?
What broadband speed do I really need?
References
Sky 1.6Gbps full fibre: who needs it, and the smart buy
Written by Alex Martin-Smith (LinkedIn) • Reviewed by Adrian James (LinkedIn)
Last reviewed: 2 October 2026
Quick summary: Sky's 1.6Gbps full fibre starts from £38 a month, but most homes don't need it. Who does, what you'll really get over Wi-Fi, and the smarter buy.
Starting price for new customers
£38 a month
UK homes that can get it
79% Sky's figure
Upload on the Openreach tier
~120Mbps not symmetrical
Full fibre customers on 900Mbps+
21% Ofcom, July 2025
Speed a 4K Netflix stream needs
15Mbps Netflix
Extra cost over Sky's 900Mbps tier
£240 over 24 months
Under 100Mbit/s
17%
100 to 299Mbit/s
38%
300 to 899Mbit/s
24%
900Mbit/s or faster
21%
Openreach line
up to 1.6Gbps to your hub
→
Sky Gigafast+ hub
where Sky measures your speed
Wi-Fi devices
speed depends on the device, its Wi-Fi standard and distance
Three 1Gbps ports
each device tops out at about 1Gbps
One 10Gbps port
the only way one wired device can go past 1Gbps
75Mbps
2h 58m
150Mbps
1h 29m
300Mbps
44m 27s
500Mbps
26m 40s
900Mbps (Sky Gigafast)
14m 49s
1.6Gbps (Sky 1.6Gbps)
8m 20s
1.6Gbps line, device on a 1Gbps port
14m 11s
Sky Gigafast 900
£744
EE 900Mbps Core
£922
Sky 1.6Gbps
£1,004
EE 1.6Gbps Core
£1,158
Compare gigabit deals at your postcode
Plusnet
4
Sky
5
Industry average
6
TalkTalk
10
1
2
3
4
Compare broadband at your postcode Work out the speed you need