topic Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad in Sky Q

Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broadband

Dobber1234 — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 07:41:13 GMT

hi my name is Derek [content removed] and I have been a sky customer since 2006. I love sky Q since it's launch in 2016. I think it's brilliant however I have heard recently that by 2028 sky is phasing out the use of all satellite dishes which means I will have to rely exclusively on my Internet connection to watch TV by four years time. According to what I read online recently with this is true by 2028. I intend to switch from sky and get a different TV provider because I prefer the use of a satellite dish to get my television through as my Internet can be quite unreliable,. Does anyone else have the same feelings as me in that they love sky television but are concerned about the switch off of all satellite dishes I realise it's four years away at least but it is something that I am concerned about I don't think personally that this is something that sky should go through with can anyone give me your opinion please? And are the rumours that I have read true and in fact will sky Q itself be phased out completely eventually I hope not

Moderator note: personally identifiable information removed

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

oldfella — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 20:12:01 GMT

Hi @Dobber1234

Not so much that Sky is phasing out satellite dishes but purely the fact that all the Astra Satellites are reaching the end of their life and are highly unlikely to be replaced.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

xenon81 — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 20:30:53 GMT

@oldfella wrote:
Hi @Dobber1234
Not so much that Sky is phasing out satellite dishes but purely the fact that all the Astra Satellites are reaching the end of their life and are highly unlikely to be replaced.

SES have ordered new Astra satellites for 19.2e with Astra 1P and 1Q on the way. There are however no new satellites planned for 28.2e (Sky).

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

nigea99 — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 21:35:55 GMT

Hi @Dobber1234

As the others have said the Satellites used for the UK and Ireland are reaching their end of life and it just isn't really financially viable for new ones to be launched for this market.

SKY is already moving to Internet provided services and most customers should hopefully have access to suitable Internet provision by the time the Satellites are no longer viable.

European coverage is a much bigger market with many different TV providers and possibly less likely to have the Internet infrastructure coverage in place which is why it was probably more financially viable to launch new Satellites to be used at 19.2

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

TimmyBGood — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 07:45:49 GMT

@Dobber1234 wrote:

I intend to switch from sky and get a different TV provider because I prefer the use of a satellite dish to get my television through as my Internet can be quite unreliable,

Tricky to get a satellite television provider if there isn't a satellite to carry the channels you wish to view...

@Dobber1234 wrote:

I don't think personally that this is something that sky should go through with

Sky has never designed, manufactured, launched, owned or operated the satellites it uses, and so has little option but to make alternative arrangements before the current trio expend the last of their positioning propellant sometime around the turn of the decade.

@Dobber1234 wrote:

And are the rumours that I have read true and in fact will sky Q itself be phased out completely eventually I hope not

I'd suggest Q being eight years old with no upgrade to 4K Mini boxes and a successor system (Sky Stream) already well in place is probably a clue.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

Gorn777 — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 08:01:47 GMT

Not a case of dropping Sky there will be no satellites at present when the old ones I guess stop working

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

AnneF1 — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:25:26 GMT

We go away a lot in our touring caravan and use a Sky satellite dish, especially for Sky sports. What will happen when the satellite dies and apparently will not be replaced?

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

nigea99 — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:34:58 GMT

@AnneF1 wrote:

We go away a lot in our touring caravan and use a Sky satellite dish, especially for Sky sports. What will happen when the satellite dies and apparently will not be replaced?

Unfortunately that is likely to be a problem area

(Although we should point out that using any SKY box away from the regiistered address is against T&Cs)

SKY Go on mobile devices is allowed - so hopefully 4G/5G coverage will have improved but unlikely to meet Satellite coverage

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

AnneF1 — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:43:05 GMT

Thanks, not good news.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

TimmyBGood — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:14:03 GMT

@AnneF1

I'd note you are in breach of the Sky T&C's by doing so: the only legitimate service for such use is Sky Go.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

AnneF1 — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:39:46 GMT

Thanks, what's a stream puck?

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

nigea99 — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:43:50 GMT

@AnneF1 wrote:

Thanks, what's a stream puck?

hi @AnneF1

SKY Stream Pucks are the small boxes that now provide SKY via internet (Streaming)

BTW you can't mix Stream with a Satellite Subscription & the Stream boxes are subject to similar T&Cs (despite their apparent portability)

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

oldfella — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:43:55 GMT

@AnneF1 wrote:

Thanks, what's a stream puck?

Hi @AnneF1

See link

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-stream-faqs

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

AnneF1 — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:47:19 GMT

Thanks, internet then.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

Mister_Dalek — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 13:09:30 GMT

@AnneF1 wrote:
Thanks, internet then.

If you mainly have Sky for sports then you'd be much better off using the NOW TV streaming service which will give you all the Sky Sports channels via an app, either built into your TV or via something like a Firestick connected to your TV. You also then wouldn't be breaking any terms and conditions of a Sky Stream contract which can only be used in a fixed dwelling.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

AnneF1 — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 13:55:48 GMT

Thanks for that.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

pingPoo0 — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:43:12 GMT

I have used Sky since 1992.

Previuosly we watched on 19.2e.

Later Sky decided move their trandmissions to a newer satellite on 28.2e which they continue to use.

There is no technical nor logistical reason for Sky not to move to a different satallite. There are 100s of satellites for Sky to choose from.

I will use Freesat ( or Freeview if they sort the signal out) if Sky cease their sarallite services

Regards.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

TimmyBGood — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:58:50 GMT

@pingPoo0 wrote:

There is no technical nor logistical reason for Sky not to move to a different satallite.

One reasonably significant 'technical and logistical reason' would be all the millions of satellite dishes currently pointed to somewhere else, particularly when Sky is downsizing its dish installer workforce (eventually to extinction)

Sky Group is now a division of the Comcast Corporation, and Comcast is not a satellite television company.

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

TimmyBGood — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 20:45:03 GMT

@pingPoo0 wrote:

There are 100s of satellites for Sky to choose from.

There's a bare handful of television broadcast satellites with a footprint over western Europe. Earth observation, GPS, broadband, astronomical and military orbital platforms are very little use for tuning in to Strictly...

Re: Is sky phasing out the use of satellite dishes and going exclusively to television through broad

nigea99 — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 20:02:27 GMT

@pingPoo0 wrote:

I have used Sky since 1992.

Previuosly we watched on 19.2e.

Later Sky decided move their trandmissions to a newer satellite on 28.2e which they continue to use.

There is no technical nor logistical reason for Sky not to move to a different satallite. There are 100s of satellites for Sky to choose from.

I will use Freesat ( or Freeview if they sort the signal out) if Sky cease their sarallite services

Regards.

Yes SKY Moved to 28.2 when they switched to Digital - a suitable time to switch - which required new boxes and new dish installs using the now familiar oval dish

Freesat is only likely to run as long as SKY does,

As @TimmyBGood says switching back to 19.2 wuld require re-alignement of all the dishes - at a time that Engineering staff are being reduced. That is assuming there would be capacity within the Satellites there