Sky Broadband Superfast Speed Query

I have FTTC broadband with Sky. It has just been upgraded to the new Sky Broadband Superfast which should give the maximum fibre speed posible. According to https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Addre... speeds I can get are below. When it was setup 3 years after some config issues Openreach sent an engineer out who said my line was capable of 57Mbs (from some diagnostics he had run). When I check my Sky account it states When you bought your estimated download speed was 32.6 - 37.3 Mbps. Should I be capable of more? If so should Sky have requested that Openreach have my line profile changed to allow this. Accoring to my router the download syn is 39999.

Featured Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Handback Threshold(Mbps)

WBC FTTC Availability Date

WBC SOGEA Availability Date

High Low High Low
VDSL Range A (Clean) 53.1 35 8.9 6 32.4 Available Available
VDSL Range B (Impacted) 51.3 32.5 8.8 5.4 27.4 Available Available
Featured Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Range(Mbps)

WBC FTTP Availability Date


FTTP on Demand 330 30 -- Available --
ADSL Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Range(Mbps)

Availability Date


WBC ADSL 2+ Up to 17 -- 10 to 19.5 Available --
WBC ADSL 2+ Annex M Up to 17 Up to 1.5 10 to 19.5 Available --
ADSL Max Up to 7.5 -- 6.5 to 8 Available --
WBC Fixed Rate 2 -- -- Available --
Fixed Rate 2 -- -- Available --
Observed Speeds

VDSL

Other Offerings




Availability Date


VDSL Multicast -- -- -- Available --
ADSL Multicast -- -- -- Available --

If modem is connecting at 39999 Kbps then some extra speed is possible if the sync speed cap is removed, i.e. upgrade to the 80/20 product, though depending on what product you are on this may mean paying more.

The estimated speed fits in the low range estimates i.e. they were cautious to avoid over promising, so if unlocked you might see a sync of 53 Mbps but until you try no-one can predict with absolute certainty.

I was on the Fibre Unlimited product which was capped at 40Mbps. I moved to the new Broadband Superfast which isn't capped. However, I am wondering if they haven't contacted Openreach to have the sync speed cap removed because the low range estimates are under 40Mbps. I may give them a call to find out.

The 39999 Kbps sync screams you are still capped

That is what I thought. The person I spoke to said that my account has been migrated to the new product but wasn't sure if anything had happened to notify Openreach. They are going to consult a colleague and get back to me.

You have not been upgraded if your sync is still 39.9 Mbps. You may get a small increase in speed but is it a free upgrade? If not is it worth the extra cost.

It is a free upgrade.

How long ago was it supposed to happen? Were you given a date, or just told it would happen?

I have the exact same problem, upgraded from Fibre Unlimited to Superfast, the upgrade goes through within 24 hours so for me that happened yesterday.

Their estimated Line Speed for me is 34Mbps - 37Mbps with a MGALS of 32.4Mbps (where they get that from I'm not sure).

Router has me synced at 39998 kbps down even today, router stats show there's headroom in the noise margin for the 3 DS bands.

DSL Checker at BT shows pretty much the same as yourself for my line:

Featured Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Handback Threshold(Mbps)

WBC FTTC Availability Date

WBC SOGEA Availability Date

High Low High Low
VDSL Range A (Clean) 53.4 35 10.1 6.5 32.4 Available Available
VDSL Range B (Impacted) 52.1 34.9 10 6 30 Available Available
Featured Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Range(Mbps)

WBC FTTP Availability Date

FTTP on Demand 330 30 -- Available --
ADSL Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Range(Mbps)

Availability Date

WBC ADSL 2+ Up to 1 -- 1 to 3.5 Available --
ADSL Max Up to 1 -- 0.75 to 2.5 Available --
WBC Fixed Rate 0.5 -- -- Available --
Fixed Rate 0.5 -- -- Available --
Observed Speeds

VDSL

Other Offerings

Availability Date

VDSL Multicast -- -- -- Available --
ADSL Multicast -- -- -- Available --

My Router Stats show the following:

Broadband Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed (Kbps) 39998 9995
Line Attenuation (dB) DS1:15.7 DS2:39.0 DS3:60.2 US0:7.8 US1:33.4 US2:49.6
Noise Margin (dB) DS1:9.8 DS2:9.8 DS3:9.8 US0:7.9 US1:6.1 US2:6.1

However according to Sky when speaking to them, my line is running above the speed range so nothing needs done. It appears that if your line is lower than the old threshold for Fibre Max (which I believe had a minimum speed requirement of 55Mbps) they won't re-profile or uncap it if you switch to Superfast, so you miss out on up to 15Mbps potentially if your line is capable of it.

Pity as BT do a 55Mbps profile, sky only do 40Mbps and 80Mbps profiles it appears.

Edited by deleted (Sat 01-Jun-19 11:24:25)

If you were on 80/20 you would get around 50Mb.
DLM changes could potentially put this nearer 60Mb.

I've just checked Sky's website and they only seem to have 1 SuperFast tier available now.
Either your upgrade hasn't gone through at OpenReach's end or Sky choose 40/10 or 80/20 based on your estimates.

I'd be pushing for an upgrade to 80/20 if I were either yourself or the OP.

Sky in the past has chosen based on their feeling of what will be stable.

Thanks John, have tried contacting Sky and they refuse to do anything, keep sticking to the line that speed is above the estimated range they quoted so nothing else needs done which is really unfortunate.

In which case you should be able to demand a penalty-free release from any minimum term, and move to a provider who is more helpful.

How?

Penalty free release only kicks in when speeds are below what the ISP promised.

The MGAL figure now includes reductions for what they expect peak time speed impact to be so will often be lower than the theory says the minimum connection speed will be

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

How?

Penalty free release only kicks in when speeds are below what the ISP promised.

I would suggest that not allowing the user to be placed on an Openreach product that BT Wholesale says is available at a significantly higher speed is an unfair contract term.

There is no reason at all that the higher speed would be particularly unstable, or cause the speed obtained, whether sync or throughput, to fall below the promised one.

At worst it would require a deadlock letter and dispute resolution service, but it should be resolved much quicker than that if a high enough level is reached in Sky. (It shouldn't need to be particularly high either). I would expect the higher speed would be provided rather than the getout.

The only major reason the OP wouldn't want to go that way would be if services only available on Sky were regarded as essential, in which case basically the same route could be taken but simply pressing the speed request in the same way.

Ta - was just double checking you were not trying to invoke the Ofcom speeds code of practice.

So yes you can argue Sky is being unfair, but if they don't budge then the dispute resolution path which can be lengthy may need invoking.

More likely whoever the OP has spoken to at Sky failed to realise that he is talking about the connection speed, not the throughput.

Assuming the OP really has been told he has been upgraded for free, it is patently obvious from the connection speeds that he hasn't. As you said a bit back.

My suggestion earlier of moving elsewhere, and how to go about it, was on reflection a little premature. (Though not irrelevant). I'm sure it must be possible to get hold of someone in Sky who will see that something has gone wrong.

Seems like Sky are doing this number on everyone. I had Fibre unlimited plus with my speed at 55Mbs checked at sky and by them also.I have just been "upgraded" to superfast which has dropped my speed to 39Mbs,obviously my line can handle the upper speed as ive had this for around 2 yrs with no issue but now they are saying that this new speed is the max it can handle,what a load of bs. So...now they said they have implemented the auto line manager to tweak my speeds for 10 days(normally done with new lines)...why the need????They already know what speed I had and can handle I just don't understand their reasoning behind any of this

Its starting to look like an issue with Sky's "superfast " package where its capping you to 40/10

Sky rolled out a new internal checker when they rolled out Superfast which apparently shows much lower speed ranges than before. It seems to be closely linked to the lower A/B speed ranges in the OR checker. What seems to be happening is if the lower A range is below 59 Mbps they provision you on 40/10.

Sky don't make it clear that "Superfast" rolls both 40/10 and 80/20 packages under one brand name not just the 80/20 option. It would have been simpler if it was just the 80/20 package but I guess they can save money where lines don't support more than 40 Mbps.

Also is an expected ramification of the all the honesty in speeds stuff what Which? has pushed i.e. providers being more careful what speeds they suggest people can get.

The average speed in the adverts it would be interesting to see the geographic location in terms of distance to cabinet spread being used. My money is on only those being given 80/20 packages appearing in it.

For simpletons like me are we saying that Sky will charge everyone the same price for their FTTC. However if you only get 50mb they will artificially lower you to the 40mb capped product?

If so, and they only have one product which relies on averages then what is the point of this? Surely they are then lowering their averages for the speeds even further.

I see when checking my address it gets 17-27mb @ £29.50
My parents who are very close to the cabinet show as: 71-73mb @ £29.50

Depends on how you are measuring the averages, i.e. sample of all population on service or selected ones.

Ah, I see what you are getting at there. So it is possible that they are reporting to Ofcom or whomever in the background their average values via a hidden product code (as far as a customer is concerned). By cloaking the product to the customer they can manipulate the figures in the back end by effectively refusing to supply a service to a customer in the first place. Kick in the teeth for existing customers who know their lines performance however are being capped to massage the numbers.

Seems a very unethical way of doing business. Although, appears to be the only logical conclusion that I had not even considered.

It's the age-old business conundrum. You start setting measurable targets so that you can understand how the business is doing. You then start to manage things so that there are penalties or rewards at stake like fines or personal bonuses and you immediately start driving inappropriate behaviour at both a corporate and a personal level to hit the target rather than benefit the customer.

Ok...so I contacted Sky....again....they say that there's a fault in the exchange and openreach engineer should fix it and my speed will be back up to where it was...remains to be seen si i'll wait it out for a couple of days and see what happens,if anything...I rang them with the info I got on here about the packages that were available..40/10 and 80/20 connections so I asked about them....they said that Superfast "should" give you the max possible on your line but I've learned they like to stretch the truth a little lol

Superfast is the Sky product name, the question is what product did Sky order from Openreach GEA-FTTC 40/10 or GEA-FTTC 80/20.

An engineer going to the exchange will make no difference to the connection speed as

a) The connection speed is controlled by hardware in a VDSL2 cabinet on the street
b) The configuration of this will be done remotely

If Sky ordered the 40/10 then its solely down to them to order a regrade onto 80/20 if the line will benefit and they want you to benefit from the extra speed

In reply to a post by Quilly777:

Ok...so I contacted Sky....again....they say that there's a fault in the exchange and openreach engineer should fix it and my speed will be back up to where it was...remains to be seen si i'll wait it out for a couple of days and see what happens,if anything...I rang them with the info I got on here about the packages that were available..40/10 and 80/20 connections so I asked about them....they said that Superfast "should" give you the max possible on your line but I've learned they like to stretch the truth a little lol

So how is an exchange fault going to be affecting a signal which isn�t added till the street cabinet ???

Sorry I meant cabinet,theres a fault outside my home which an engineer will see to