The History of Sky Broadband
EASYNET • 2006 LAUNCH • SKY FIBRE • FTTP • WIFI MAX • CITYFIBRE • 5GBPS
Sky Broadband launched in 2006, but its story began with Sky’s £211 million Easynet acquisition in 2005.
Since then Sky has moved from ADSL and local-loop unbundling to FTTC, Openreach FTTP, whole-home WiFi and CityFibre-based multi-gigabit broadband. Sky’s first mainstream FTTP service launched in October 2020, followed by the 500Mbps Ultrafast Plus package in 2021.
Sky Broadband history: quick timeline
BSkyB agreed a £211 million deal to acquire Easynet, giving Sky broadband expertise and a major foothold in local-loop unbundling.
Sky Broadband and Sky Talk launched in the UK, forming the communications side of Sky’s TV, phone and internet bundle strategy.
Sky announced its first mainstream FTTC product in January and launched it from April, using Openreach fibre to the cabinet.
Sky agreed to buy Telefónica UK’s consumer broadband and fixed-line business, adding more than half a million customers.
Comcast became Sky’s majority owner in October 2018.
Sky launched its first mainstream Fibre to the Premises service in October, initially with up to 145Mbps average speeds.
Sky launched its FTTP-only 500Mbps Ultrafast Plus package.
Sky introduced its first 900Mbps Full Fibre package.
The WiFi 6 Max Hub and managed whole-home WiFi package arrived.
Sky signed a long-term deal to sell broadband over CityFibre from 2025.
Sky launched Gigafast+ on CityFibre with a new WiFi 7 hub.
Sky says it is rolling out Full Fibre to more than 80% of its UK base by 2028 while continuing to sell Openreach and CityFibre services.
2005: why Sky bought Easynet
The origins of Sky Broadband start with Easynet. On 21 Oct 2005, BSkyB agreed a cash offer valuing Easynet at about £211 million. UK competition authorities later cleared the transaction.
Easynet mattered because it had invested heavily in local loop unbundling (LLU). LLU allowed a broadband provider to install its own equipment in BT exchanges while continuing to use the copper line into the customer’s property.
That gave Sky much more control than simply reselling a generic wholesale broadband product. Easynet also brought network infrastructure and broadband engineering experience that helped form the technical base of the new Sky Broadband business.
2006–2012: launch, growth and the first Sky Fibre service
Sky Broadband launched in 2006. Sky used broadband and home phone alongside television to compete for households wanting several communications services from one supplier.
The service grew quickly. By 2012 Sky said it had around 3.6 million broadband customers, showing how rapidly the business had expanded from its 2006 starting point.
Sky’s first mainstream fibre package was announced on 31 Jan 2012 and launched from April. It used FTTC: fibre ran to the street cabinet, while the final section into the home remained copper.
This was not yet Full Fibre. FTTC was an important speed upgrade, but Sky would not launch mainstream FTTP until 2020.
2013: Sky bought O2 Broadband and BE Broadband
In March 2013, Sky agreed to buy Telefónica UK’s O2 and BE consumer broadband and fixed-line business.
The initial consideration was £180 million, with up to another £20 million linked to successful migration. The businesses had more than half a million consumer broadband and fixed-line customers, and Sky said the deal would make it the UK’s second-largest home broadband provider.
The acquisition was strategically important because it increased Sky’s scale and absorbed BE Broadband, a brand known for technically strong ADSL2+ services.
2018: the Comcast era
Comcast became Sky’s majority owner in October 2018, taking more than 75% of Sky’s issued ordinary share capital at that point.
This changed Sky’s corporate ownership, but the broadband business continued to develop around UK access networks. Over the following years, broadband became increasingly important to Sky’s wider connected-home strategy as more television services moved towards IP delivery.
2020–2022: Sky moved into Full Fibre
Sky’s move into Full Fibre began in 2020 and accelerated quickly over the next two years.
FTTP launches
On 30 Oct 2020, Sky launched a new FTTP service, initially offering Ultrafast at up to 145Mbps average download speed.
500Mbps arrives
On 7 Jul 2021, Sky launched Ultrafast Plus, a 500Mbps package delivered only through FTTP.
900Mbps Gigafast
On 6 Apr 2022, Sky launched Gigafast at 900Mbps, again using FTTP.
So Sky’s Full Fibre history starts in 2020, not 2021. The 2021 milestone was the jump to a 500Mbps FTTP package.
2023: WiFi Max shifted the focus inside the home
Sky unveiled WiFi Max on 11 Jul 2023. It introduced the WiFi 6 Max Hub, app-based device controls, improved security features and a stronger whole-home WiFi proposition.
The historical significance is that broadband competition was no longer just about the speed reaching the property. Providers were increasingly competing on how well the connection performed around the home.
2024–2025: CityFibre and the multi-gigabit era
Sky’s relationship with CityFibre has older roots — including a joint York fibre project with TalkTalk and CityFibre in 2014 — but the major national shift came in August 2024.
Sky and CityFibre signed a long-term partnership that would bring Sky broadband to CityFibre’s network from 2025. That gave Sky a second major fixed access network alongside Openreach.
On 9 Jul 2025, Sky launched Full Fibre 2.5 Gigafast+ and Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+ on CityFibre, together with a new WiFi 7 Gigafast+ Hub.
By this point, Sky had moved from an ADSL provider built around LLU to a multi-network Full Fibre provider offering speeds up to 5Gbps.
Where Sky Broadband stands in 2026
Sky now sells Full Fibre over both Openreach and CityFibre. Its current corporate connectivity page says it connects millions of customers across the UK, Ireland and Italy and is rolling out Full Fibre to more than 80% of its UK base by 2028.
In the UK, the history has therefore moved through four distinct technical phases: LLU-based ADSL, FTTC, Openreach FTTP and multi-gigabit CityFibre FTTP.
For current packages and pricing rather than history, use our Sky Broadband review and current Sky Broadband deals.
Sky Broadband began with the Easynet acquisition in 2005 and launched in 2006. It then progressed from LLU-based ADSL to FTTC in 2012, FTTP in 2020, 500Mbps in 2021, 900Mbps in 2022 and CityFibre-based 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps services in 2025.
Sky Broadband history FAQs
When did Sky Broadband launch?
Sky Broadband launched in the UK in 2006, after BSkyB acquired Easynet in 2005.
Why did Sky buy Easynet?
Easynet gave Sky broadband expertise, network assets and local-loop-unbundling infrastructure that helped create the technical foundation for Sky Broadband.
When did Sky launch fibre broadband?
Sky announced its first mainstream FTTC fibre package in January 2012 and launched it from April 2012.
When did Sky launch Full Fibre?
Sky launched its first mainstream FTTP service on 30 Oct 2020. It followed with 500Mbps Ultrafast Plus in July 2021 and 900Mbps Gigafast in April 2022.
When did Sky start using CityFibre?
Sky and CityFibre announced their long-term national partnership in August 2024. Sky services launched on CityFibre in 2025, including 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps Gigafast+ packages.
When did Sky WiFi Max launch?
Sky unveiled WiFi Max on 11 Jul 2023, introducing the WiFi 6 Max Hub and stronger whole-home WiFi features.
Sources
- CMA/OFT: BSkyB and Easynet — official merger record for the 2005 acquisition.
- Sky: 2012 fibre launch — Sky’s first mainstream FTTC announcement.
- Telefónica/O2: Sky acquisition announcement — O2 and BE Broadband deal.
- Comcast: Sky acquisition — October 2018 majority ownership.
- Sky: FTTP launch — 30 Oct 2020 Full Fibre launch.
- Sky: 500Mbps Ultrafast Plus — July 2021 milestone.
- Sky: 900Mbps Gigafast — April 2022 launch.
- Sky: WiFi Max — July 2023 WiFi 6 Max Hub launch.
- Sky: CityFibre partnership — August 2024 announcement.
- Sky: 5Gbps and WiFi 7 — July 2025 Gigafast+ launch.