Sky launches cheapo broadband service

SKY HAS FINALLY launched its highly anticipated sky broadband service, only several days after making its EPG available via mobile and web. Currently you can pre-register for delivery in August.

The service is available in four main flavours for subscribers of the satellite TV service:

• Base: 2mb/s, 2gb cap, free monthly rental, £40 activation
• Mid: 8mb/s, 40gb cap, £5 monthly rental, £20 activation
• Max: 16mb/s, unlimited cap (with AUP), £10 monthly rental, free activation
• Connect: 8mb/s, 40gb cap, £17 monthly rental, £40 activation

All Sky Broadband products come with a 'Sky Broadband router' which is effectively a free wireless router. PC users can also get a year's free subscription to McAfee Internet Security Suite while Mac users will get 12 months free McAfee Virex software.

Sky's network now covers 28 per cent of UK households but the company says all customers are eligible for the service, presumably without using BT-only exchanges. Sky purchased Easynet for £211m last year, swallowing a significant chunk of the UK LLU market in the process.

Looking at the pricing, it seems clear that the Max package is aimed at LLU enabled homes, whereas the Base, Mid, Connect are initially for non-LLU BT-based product. We'd expect punters to be pushed towards the Max package as and when it becomes available in their area.

Sky has stated that it's currently rolling out its equipment in around 30 exchanges a week and claims that at the current rate of expansion the network's coverage is expected to reach more homes 70 per cent of all UK households by the end of 2007. Sky plan a full telephony voice-service rollout in early 2007, replacing any need for BT. µ

* MEANWHILE the EasyGroup said that the UK High Court had ruled its easy.com trademark is distinctive. The EasyGroup said in a statement: "It is ironic that this High Court defeat for Easynet/bskyb came a few days before today's announcement that bskyb will plough hundreds of millions of pounds into offering so-called free broadband to their customers. It appears from the official news release that the service will be branded 'Sky' and not 'Easynet', although the latter's network will be used. This is perhaps a sensible decision on the part of the media giant Sky to build on its own name and not throw more money into Easynet."

L'INQ
sky.com/broadband (flash based)