Sky UK Add FREE Mobile Social Tariff for Sky Broadband Basics Users
Customers who take UK ISP Sky Broadband’s cheaper “Basics” social tariff for home broadband and phone connectivity will now also gain the ability to add Sky’s new mobile social tariff, which will provide existing users with unlimited UK calls and texts and 3GB of data per month for 12 months “at no cost at all“.
Just to recap. The Sky Broadband Basics package costs £20 a month for 18 months, which includes average download speeds of 36Mbps (uploads of c.8.5Mbps) or – if “fibre” (FTTC/P) isn’t available where you live – customers will instead receive Sky Broadband’s Essential Plus (ADSL), with average download speeds of 11Mbps (uploads of c.1Mbps). The package also includes standard call rates via Sky Pay As You Talk and a router.
However, in somewhat of an unexpected development, Sky has now added a free Sky Mobile 3GB plan to their social broadband tariff at no extra cost (they’d normally charge about £7 per month for this), which makes for a rather unique social bundle in the market.
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Sky said they will also be making Sky Broadband Basics and NOW Broadband Basics available to people receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income related Jobseekers Allowance and Income related Employment Support Allowance “next month” (previously you could only take this with either Universal Credit or Pension Credit).
“I know that the economic backdrop is challenging for many households in the UK, and I am focussed on how Sky can help and support our customers in a targeted way. That’s why today we are also making a promise to those customers who are most in need that we will not increase the price of our social tariffs throughout 2023,” added Stephen van Rooyen, Executive VP and CEO of Sky UK & Europe.
We should add that Sky’s sub-brand also has a similar NOW Broadband Basics package with the same price and features, albeit on an ongoing monthly contract. But at the time of writing, the Sky Mobile social tariff does not extend to this (NOW doesn’t have a ‘mobile’ product).
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Well done to Sky, a decision that benefits their customers. (no pun intended)
Sorry Matt but no… they’ll just increase the charges on those who aren’t eligible for the social tariffs.
I personally just cancelled my Sky package which was at £150pm and I didn’t have things like Sport, Ultra HD etc. Literally just 40Mb FTTC, phone, Movies, On-demand and kids channels.
Let me guess the last time you haggled and recontracted with Sky retentions was far in the past, LOL
No… last time I haggled I got a £10 discount.
Now that I had an alternative they were offering larger discounts when I cancelled.
I apologised and said “maybe if you offered that last time”… the larger discount reinforced me cancelling as I wondered how many others they abuse their monopoly position with.
More incentive to not work…
What a bitter old fart you are.
But it certainly adds a hurdle.
Once you’ve changed over to social tariffs for broadband and phone, got your free prescriptions and free dental care and your free bus pass, do you really want to go through the hassle of cancelling all those things? And then maybe having to subscribe to them all again in 6 months time?
Personally, I think it makes more sense just to give people more money. If you want broadband companies to subsidise people on benefits, then tax those companies more, and distribute it through the benefits.
Also current tax rates discourage people from making more money by high income child benefit charge, no personal allowance for those earning more than £125k. The best way is to be low educated earning less than £50k, having 5 children each with different partner, claiming all benefits including council house and now get a 50Mbps FTTH social tariff, 30GB with unlimited calls on mobile.
@NE555 I agree. Instead of giving people free this and free that, they should just give people universal credit enough to afford those things. Sadly I fear it’s not kafkaesque enough for the DWP.
It’s great for those that genuinely need assistance. It’s something that be applauded.
Wonder what happens when they go over the 3GB data usage? I bet that’s many pounds per GB more per month before they realise it! A nice little earner for Sky!
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