Sky Mobile UK Introduces Cheap £5 Plan with 500MB of 4G Data

Sky Mobile (Sky Broadband) has today added a fourth option to their line-up of Mobile tariffs, which costs just £5 per month and includes a 500MB (MegaByte) data allowance. As usual existing Sky TV customers will also benefit from free unlimited UK calls and texts.

As a quick recap, the existing Sky Mobile (O2 MVNO) plans cost from £10 per month for 1GB of data, £15 for 3GB or £20 for 5GB. Unfortunately if you’re not also a Sky TV subscriber then you’ll need to pay an extra +£10 per month to receive unlimited calls and texts (otherwise the calls and texts are pay-as-you-go), which somewhat limits the attractiveness.

Liz Wynn, Sky’s Director of Mobile, said:

“Our new tariff gives even better value to Sky TV customers as they can now get 500MB of data with Unlimited Calls and Texts for only £5 a month. It’s also available with all our handsets and Sky Mobile now offers the lowest monthly price with no upfront cost compared to major networks across our full range of phones with prices starting from just £12.50 per month.”

The 500MB option is certainly going to be very useful for existing Sky TV customers, specifically those that don’t require a lot of data. However we wish Sky Mobile would introduce some plans with bigger data allowances and more flexibility over bundled calls and texts. A top plan with only 5GB seems a bit feeble.

Sky’s approach also neglects their existing broadband and phone subscribers, many of which may not wish to take Sky TV but might still like to try their mobile service. Otherwise Sky Mobile subscribers will also benefit from the following features.

Sky Mobile’s 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.

· Swap – After 12 or 24 months, Sky will let customers know when it’s time to Swap and they can then choose a brand new phone from their entire range of handsets, including Samsung, LG and Sony (these aren’t available until tomorrow). This service is said to be “free of charges – no upgrade fees, no admin charges and delivered for free.“