Sky says it has "moved quickly" to solve sluggish network issues when they've cropped up, dismissing concerns that its network could struggle under the weight of the O2 and Be Broadband customers the provider snapped up last week.
Having acquired Telefonica UK's broadband business (which includes O2 and Be Broadband), Sky is set to become the UK's second-largest broadband provider, and plans to move existing O2 and Be customers onto its own network.
That rings a few alarm bells, however, as Sky recently admitted that its network was already struggling under the weight of new customers. When we asked if its network could handle more subscribers, Sky seemed confident those issues with sluggish service were local issues, and were being handled.
"On the rare occasions where temporary congestion issues have arisen in specific exchanges," a Sky spokesperson told CNET UK, "Sky has moved quickly to upgrade them with extra capacity."
O2 and Be customers will be understandably miffed at having to pack up and move over to Sky, although no changes are expected to take place until later this year. On its blog, Be says migration is unlikely to be "much before the end of the year".
Be, which has a reputation for providing a number of useful services for technically-minded broadband fans like static IPs and line bonding, has seen customers expressing ire on its site. "Disaster," one writes, while another says, "Well done in ruining your excellent brand image."
It's unclear exactly how the shift will take place, though it seems unlikely that Sky will offer all the high-tech options for hardcore surfers that Be currently sells.
Sky wants to reassure broadband addicts by making mention of its high-speed fibre service -- something Be doesn't offer -- and promising "totally unlimited broadband with absolutely no usage caps or traffic management policies".
"Traffic is not shaped at any time," Sky said in its statement, "on any application, by Sky on its network."
Are you an O2 phone or broadband customer or a Be broadband subscriber? Are you open to moving to Sky, or are you worried you'll be charged more? Will you take the opportunity to change to a different ISP? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Comments 28
Add your comment
anonymous 7 March, 2013 12:42
In fairness the congestion issues that hit Sky recently were blow out of all proportion. All major broadband ISPs suffer similar problems every week and in some cases it can become more of a problem because the telephone exchange requires installation of new physical capacity supply (as opposed to somebody simply asking a supplier to flip a switch as you buy more capacity over the backhaul).
Sadly building in new capacity, especially if it requires a new cable, can take a few weeks or sometimes even months when it coincides with bad weather. Once again this is a common issue that affects BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and others sporadically every month at different locations. Not to say that Sky couldn’t have been faster to adapt but such issues are common place.
Mark (Editor)
ISPreview.co.uk
mark2410 7 March, 2013 12:56
the problem is that Be staff were technically literate, just like their customers. sky can claim neither of those things and accordingly their DLM systems are a hideous nightmare of uselessness. run by idiots for idiots.
anonymous 7 March, 2013 13:00
Was with sky for 12 months. Started at a peak of 3.5 maps (promised 6) and gradually went down to 0.8. Complaints fell on deaf ears so I moved provider.
Broken promises, poor service = 1 lost customer
anonymous 7 March, 2013 13:48
I currently have an o2 mobile and o2 broadband. I get a £5 discount for having both with them. seeing as this will probably end at some point after they move to sky I see no point in keeping my mobile with them either. I'll definitely move both services to someone else. looking at sky's prices there are better deals out there
anonymous 7 March, 2013 15:34
Go Plusnet. Talktalk are one to avoid and BT are expensive. Plusnet is BT's budget brand.
anonymous 7 March, 2013 21:47
The only problems I have had with SKY Fibre/Broadband, is BT refusal to upgrade my local network telephone cables. Still using Aluminium cables.
anonymous 8 March, 2013 10:24
I am a Be customer considering moving. I looked at PlusNet, and although their prices are better, they do traffic management on their packets.
I was thinking of Andrews and Arnold, www.aaisp.com, they are more expensive but no network traffic management, no blocking of websites, very knowledgable staff (because they don't cater to the mass market)... Has anyone here used them? What is your feedback
anonymous 8 March, 2013 17:27
I am an O2 broadband customer and very much happy with O2 services & prices. But their move disappointed me. I do not like to go with sky at all, at least they will charge more as usual. Hopefully my contract ends this June and 100% will seek another briadband but NO sky
wilsan 8 March, 2013 19:10
Thought i'd found perfect ISP in O2. Transferred landline and have mobile with them. Terrific customer services in all departments, and have recommended friends and family. Once Sky take over, quite sure all customer relations and services will be crippled. All my contracts are up for renewal, so will start migration as soon as I have researched options.
If O2 can "sell their customers down the river" they cannot be trusted with renewed contracts in other areas.
anonymous 9 March, 2013 22:53
Already have a sky line with my tv and a be unlimited one with 8 IPs for my home based business. The sky one is slow and unresponsive compared to the be unlimited one, (plus I have always felt that they probably snoop it.) I will be closing down both accounts in the next few months in favour of something else and also advising my business clients who had Be-unlimited and 02 mobiles on my reccomendation to do the same.
We should not have just 3 big players controling the uk Internet, we should have a choice.
anonymous 10 March, 2013 14:42
I am a BE customer I am jumping ship soon i would rather pay £10 more for a better service than pay less for a super crap service I currently pay now to Be £27.98 phone line and BB.
I am looking at Aquiss.
anonymous 11 March, 2013 18:10
Mark 2410, you've obviously got an axe to grind for some reason, I suspect, not just because you have been forced into a corner as you would see it, but don't judge people that you don't know!
I have been a Sky customer for many years, and on the odd occasion I have needed to contact them for support, issues have been resolved both quickly and efficiently, something that O2 failed miserably at.
Finally please do not judge people that you neither know or ever likely to know, as you obviously spend your life in your Be anorak in front of your computer!
anonymous 12 March, 2013 06:39
As a BE customer with a great service and support, truly unlimited and uncapped service. A move to sky is out of the question i WILL BE LEAVING.
anonymous 12 March, 2013 09:46
I used to be a sky customer for TV but since I cancelled it in favor of a freeview box 2 years ago they have done nothing but hamper me with their aggressive marketing to try and get me back, I eventually had to threaten them with harassment complaints. Then, after being told that I have been sold back to Sky, they tell me that I can't have a broadband contact with them, fibre or otherwise, unless I cancel my existing landline phone contract with BT and have one with them. Sod that. Needless to say I have cancelled my O2 contract, Plusnet are coming round on Friday to set my nice new fibre connection up
I have jumped ship
anonymous 13 March, 2013 18:01
I am a current O2 Customer for phone and Broadband. I am extremely reluctant to switch over to SKY as I dislike this company and it's ethics. I can not leave O2 unfortunately as I've got a fixed minimum 1 year contaract until January 2014, so I'll probably have to go with the flow and then leave SKY.
What I am dreading is the constant bombardment of SKY marketing. I will not want SKY Television, not in the slightest. Neither am I an avid Sun reader, White van driver, Football fan or brain-dead bigot, which would help me steer towards taking SKY. I know that I will be pushed and pushed into taking the TV package and they will not leave you alone. They are the sharks of Media and I do not wish to get involved.
The prices will rise, that's not what we should pressume, that is what we already know! Despite SKY trying to deny price increases, as the 'soon to be' Second largest broadband provider in the UK, what else do you expect. Maybe they should take over the provision of Gas supplies and Electricity as well - all they need to do is continue giving back handers to the Government (of whom, a large proportion of MP's have shareholdings with SKY!!!!)
There's a very bad smell eminating from within and we'll soon find out why!
anonymous 16 March, 2013 23:11
Will NEVER take Sky service. very poor Customer service. Never again.
anonymous 20 March, 2013 14:12
Never really noticed how people hold grudges for so long. Snooping? Poor Customer Service?
Sky are now the 2nd biggest broadband provider recently, how are they going to keep on improving if you slate them on what they have done previously. Stop living in the past...
anonymous 26 March, 2013 00:35
If you get robbed by a hi-wayman , you avoid that route.
anonymous 28 March, 2013 12:16
I have been with Sky, their customer service was terrible. O2 is brilliant, VERY disappointed, will definitely move provider.
anonymous 5 April, 2013 16:35
Already pay enough to Sky for the privilege to watch TV and now my home phone and broadband are being sold to them I have decided to return to BT. I will now lose my static IP but a small price to pay to not pour more money into the BSkyB coffers.
anonymous 10 April, 2013 14:39
I am at present an o2 customer with broadband only - was never offered home phone services. Unfortunately Sky telephone line service does not match the BT one - '0845' numbers not included, only 20 international destinations (most of them in Europe) compared to 36 with BT inclusive package. Also the Sky 'help and support number begins '08444' which is NOT included with BT, therefore would be unable to contact sky if a problem occurs with broadband. There seems to be a problem with 'Sky' website, as twice it has been disconnected, and windows were unable to find a problem. This does not fare well for potential 'ex-o2' customers. I will not be joining Sky for all above reasons. Sorry from 'I am Human'
anonymous 13 April, 2013 21:49
As a o2 customer I'm disappointed their selling to sky, sky's CS is rubbish (not as bad as virgin but close) my brother was with and his line was constantly going down and waiting ages for them to come sort it. o2 treat every customer as a priority I've rarely had a problem with my speeds or connection. when i have had problems they came out immediately to sort it. I think i will give sky a chance to see what changes occur but i will most likely abandon them and go elsewhere, lets just see how things turn out.
helcaster 2 May, 2013 09:30
If I wanted a useless ISP i'd have signed up with Sky (Boringly Slow Broadband) long ago, changes apparently start in autumn(September ?),so its potentially 5 months of disconnects, asthmatic ant with heavy shopping speed internet to endure before contact ends in Jan 2014. PlusNet are just as bad as Talktalk.
anonymous 2 May, 2013 13:55
Another thing to bear in mind for O2 customers with O2 mobiles... we'll lose the £5 off deal for having both! O2 have been a fantastic ISP for me and I'm really not sure who I'll go with next, it'll certainly not be with Sky. I'm thinking Plusnet, but I'll wait until it's confirmed we no longer get our £5 discount.
anonymous 5 May, 2013 12:22
I don't know if they've moved the network or not, but I'm on O2 and my internet has now gone from great to unusable. "Can't connect to this", "can't connect to that". Rubbish. I'm off.
anonymous 10 May, 2013 18:52
I've been with o2 broadband for 4 years (and their mobile service since 1991, Cellnet back then). I've never had an issue, consistent 17Mb+ internet connection with only a hand-full of reconnects in the four years. The customer service people, on the twice I spoke to them, were a little confused at first with my requirements for static IP and my use of Linux but soon put me through to very helpful techs. I now know that Sky are starting to switch things over. I can now only get a maximum of 6Mb and the connection has 'dropped' three times in the last 24hrs. I'm just thinking what Sky people are going to make of 'No, I don't use Windows'. Then it'll be the phone calls trying to sell me a TV package.
anonymous 14 May, 2013 19:25
I've been with sky before for the rubbish internet service.
I was paying for 16mb service wasn't even getting 8mb, Sky customer services always blamed my line.
With the same line O2 sync me at 17MB
I will not be going back to Sky.
I'm on contract to O2 till end of year.
Soon as I know the the migration date to Sky I will be switching to plusnet.
Even if it means having to pay for the remainder of the contract.
anonymous 17 May, 2013 12:35
Hmm been with O2 broadband for 4 years, and managed to negotiate a good deal each year at end of contract; £9.60 per month. They have been the best to deal with WAY better than Tiscali and TalkTalk; the service has been reliable and stable, and they tell ME when a problem is occurring or about to occur. Called O2 to ask about migration yesterday, and was put through to a SKY person, who, of course had no knowledge of any O2 services. Was actully aggressive when I asked how long to get a MAC code, and tried to tell me SKY was the best and I shouldn't have any reason to leave. When I suggested I didn't like the way SKY did business and I didn't want any other Sky services I got even shorter shift. I suspect all SKY sales people see this as a captive "Upsell Route" for extra commission, so I would expect agressive marketing to all O2 customers. Already THREE shiny sales leafltes throgh the post telling how wonderfull SKY TV is (why pay subscription and STILL expect 15 mins per hour advertising) and NO MENTION of the new BB prices.
Will ditch out soon. Was going to go to PLUSNET, but when I selected Annual line saver it told me any free calls package woule be removed!
Looks like BT will be best overall value for FTTC. By bye SKY!