UK ISP Sky Broadband Unveils New 4G Sky Mobile Plans and Prices

Sky (Sky Broadband) has today officially soft launched their new 4G based Sky Mobile service in the United Kingdom, which is powered by a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement with O2 (Telefonica UK). The move will turn Sky into a true quad-play provider.

The operator has spent the past few months completing their final readiness milestones for the new network (e.g. testing it for live calls, text messages and data sessions [Mobile Broadband]), as well as securing a few international roaming agreements and preparing to provision their own SIM cards.

Thankfully all that work has now largely completed, although today only appears to be a soft launch of the service that highlights some of its most attractive features and pricing. However sales of the new Sky Mobile SIM-only contracts won’t start until mid-December 2016 (for existing customers and those who pre-register).

Apparently the full market launch will then begin during early 2017 and later next year Sky Mobile will be expanded to include the best handsets from Apple, Samsung and others.

Sky Mobile’s Four Key Features

· Roll – Customers can roll over unused data into their online ‘piggybank’ each month (in 1GB increments), to use whenever they need for up to 3 years. Some rivals do this, but the data roll-over usually expires quite quickly.

· Mix – Customers can create a plan that’s right for them, which they can change every month. Just to clarify this, Sky Mobile plans are still 12 month contracts, but customers are free to change their “Mix” of data, calls and texts every month.

· Save – Sky TV customers don’t have to pay for unlimited UK calls or texts with any Sky Mobile data plan. Each household will also be able to register up to 5 SIMs, which Sky claims could generate an annual saving of up to £600 a year on their Sky Mobile bill. In addition, Sky+ customers choosing to take Sky Mobile will receive Sky Go Extra for free, saving £60 a year.

· Sync – Sky TV customers can create their personal playlists of favourite shows, synced from their Sky box at home, to watch wherever they are. This mobile entertainment service is available for Sky+ customers at launch, with the functionality coming for customers with a Sky Q box next year.

Customers will be given the option of 3 simple data plans: 1GB for £10 per month, 3GB for £15 per month and 5GB for £20 per month. Non Sky TV customers can then add Unlimited Calls and Texts for +£10 extra per month, or simply pay for calls and texts on a Pay As You Use (PAYU) basis (i.e. you don’t pay for inclusive calls and texts that you don’t need).

This is certainly a different approach, although the data allowances aren’t terribly attractive for modern Mobile Broadband demands. Sky does say that it will be possible to buy a 1GB ‘Add On’, but the press release doesn’t say how much this will cost.

Stephen van Rooyen, CEO of Sky UK and Ireland, said:

“We felt it was time to shake up the mobile market and give customers a completely new way to manage their mobile plan – something no one else is offering. We’ve designed it based on what people told us they want – it’s easy, flexible and transparent and it puts the customer in control.

With £2 billion being wasted each year on unused data in the UK, Sky Mobile customers will only pay for what they use. Plus we’re giving Sky TV customers a fantastic offer which will allow them to get even more value from their subscriptions. It’s time for people to have a smart new way to manage their mobile contract.”

Apparently pre-registrations for Sky Mobile have already reached over 46,000, although that’s hardly a surprise for an operator that’s home to around 6 million fixed line broadband subscribers.

Sky are also perhaps somewhat late to the party on this front, not least since all of their major fixed line rivals (BT, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Plusnet etc.) are already offering a Mobile solution and some have been doing it for quite a few years.

Never the less most ISPs view Mobile as a way of helping to control churn (customer bleed) and Sky will no doubt be hoping to extract a similar benefit, although much of that will depend upon how customers react to what has today been announced.