Sky has dramatically upped the stakes in its fight against BT by announcing twelve months of free fibre broadband for anyone taking its phone service.
The offer includes download speeds of up to 38Mbps and comes with a 25GB monthly usage cap making it best suited for light and intermediate downloaders.
Households can take advantage of the offer without subscribing to Sky’s TV services.
Unlike some broadband contracts which with come with 18 or 24 month contracts, Sky’s free offer only requires customers to sign-up to a 12 month contract, meaning they can walk away as soon as the free period expires.
The pay-TV and telecoms firm says the deal, which is available from tomorrow, represents “a saving of £186.13 over a year when compared with the closest comparable services from BT”.
Today’s deal is the latest move in Sky and BT’s battle for customers and has been announced just weeks before BT starts its exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League.
The competition will be included as part of a revamped BT Sports Pack which is expected to also include a new AMC branded channel.
By making the channels free with BT TV, which requires users to have BT’s fibre broadband service, the firm is hoping to boost its number of TV subscribers by persuading Sky homes to change providers rather than pay up to £19.99 per month to receive the BT Sports Pack.
Although Sky’s offer of free fibre is open to non-TV customers, it’s likely to help limit the numbers moving to BT by effectively reducing the overall cost of adding BT’s channels to their Sky+ box.
Lyssa McGowan, Director, Sky Broadband comments: “We know there are lots of people who would like to try superfast speeds but are put off by the high prices charged by some providers.
“With this ground-breaking offer, we’re making Sky Fibre even more accessible. Now superfast broadband is genuinely for everyone.”