Sky Broadband UK Replaces its Forgotten FREE 2GB LITE Use Package

Blink and you’ll miss it. Sky Broadband has quietly removed their old “Lite” package, which offered a basic 2GB usage allowance and download speeds of ‘up to’ 17Mbps (ADSL2+) to Sky TV users at no extra cost. The service has been replaced by a new option, which isn’t as free as before.

Historically Sky has tended not confine this service to the small print and not to promote it alongside their main Sky Broadband packages, which is partly because the service was aimed more at TV subscribers that only made extremely limited use of their Internet connection. This is not unlike what they do with their 8Mbps / £17 per month “Connect” option for BT-only lines and we’d bet some of you didn’t know about that either.

In that sense it’s a forgotten package, although you could still order it with Sky TV. Sources now inform us that the package was quietly replaced on Thursday and part of the reason is perhaps because 2GB would now struggle to keep up with even basic Internet use and software updates, not least since some modern web pages can easily gobble tens of MegaBytes in a single load (we’re looking at you Gizmodo 🙂 ).

In fairness Sky was always quite flexible with their enforcement of the 2GB cap and if it was exceeded then they’d simply warn customers not to do it again. However we recall that if anybody went over the cap more than once in any 6 month period then Sky would give customers the option to either upgrade (e.g. take Sky Broadband Unlimited) or accept excess usage fees.

The Replacement

The replacement for ‘Lite’ is called Sky Broadband 12GB and as you might guess this is basically the same approach, albeit with a 12 GigaByte monthly usage allowance instead of 2GB. As before this is also only available in Sky’s Unbundled LLU network area, which covers most of the United Kingdom. Plus you still have to take Sky Line Rental from £17.40 per month and your choice of a Sky TV option.

The Small Print

12 months free Sky Broadband 12GB: Available to new Sky TV, Broadband and Talk customers taking new 12 month minimum subscription for Sky TV and Sky Broadband 12GB. Subject to status. Upfront payment may be required.

Anybody looking at the small print for this new option (that’s one of the only places where it’s even mentioned on Sky’s website) would also be forgiven for thinking that it is being offered for free to Sky TV subscribers like the old 2GB Lite service. But ISPreview.co.uk understands that it will only be free for the first 12 month contract and after that we’ve been told that a £5 per month charge will apply.