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

[PeterT]

Hopefully there will be a re-think. Or, maybe the option to piggy-back new Astra 1Q if we pay to have dish re-positioned?

[Daniel0210]

@PeterT 

Unfortunately I think your expectations are unrealistic. 

[PeterT]

. . . but that's unfair for the large number of people living in rural communities. We already suffer with poor mobile cell capability.

[TimmyBGood]

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@PeterT wrote:

. . . but that's unfair for the large number of people living in rural communities. 

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Subscription television is not regulated as an 'essential' service, and so providers are not required to be 'fair'.  Access to PSB channels is somewhat different, but so far the current Government appears not to have reached any position on the topic (and regarding satellite in particular and the considerable lead time for new orbital hardware is leaving it rather late in the day to do so)

[TimmyBGood]

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@PeterT wrote:

 Or, maybe the option to piggy-back new Astra 1Q if we pay to have dish re-positioned?

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There are rather more Europeans served from 19.2E than the total (and diminishing) market for Sky and Freesat in the UK and ROI at 28.2E so the maths on that doesn't really work.  Realistically it appears that Comcast isn't particularly interested in being in the satellite television business: as I've frequently observed in these forums they are historically a cable television company.

[Invisiblename]

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@PeterT wrote:

. . . but that's unfair for the large number of people living in rural communities. We already suffer with poor mobile cell capability.

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Unfortunately when has "fairness" ever come into it for commercial decisions by big companies?

[Chodley]

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@PeterT wrote:

. . . but that's unfair for the large number of people living in rural communities. We already suffer with poor mobile cell capability.

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Starlink (at a price) and eventually fibre optic rollout should cover that for most places.

[screaming+eagle]

The Astra satellite is nearing the end of its life , it's possible it may stay online as late as 2030 though 

[PeterT]

I would have thought there would be more general notice / made awareness if 2030 was the likely switch-off for UK Sky satellite TV customers?
I wonder if Sky have researched how many of their satelilite customers live in rural parts of the country and do not have access to high speed (FTP) broadband?

[nigea99]

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@PeterT wrote:

I would have thought there would be more general notice / made awareness if 2030 was the likely switch-off for UK Sky satellite TV customers?
I wonder if Sky have researched how many of their satelilite customers live in rural parts of the country and do not have access to high speed (FTP) broadband?

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hi @PeterT 

It is too early to send any such mesages as it not imminent

SKY are already gently (or maybe more than gently) influencing the migration to streaming  as they no longer offer SKY Q to new customers online & their best offers are for SKY Glass & Stream

I know it is a blow for customers where Broadband is still poor but again there is still a couple of years left which means more areas will have better coverage by th etime Satellite TV is likely to cease in the UK & Ireland

I am sure SKY have  rough figures on their customers who may be in weak areas but that won't change any business decisions that streaming is their strategic way forward. I don't think they would ever consider investing the sort of money needed to launch new satellites even if that results in loss of customers (although as others have noted SKY  don't own the Satellites  anyway) 

We know there are many here that rely on the Satellites for coverage and others who would prefer to continue (I would prefer it myslf) but the reality is that migration to streaming is happening & has shifted the financial dynamics

[TimmyBGood]

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@PeterT wrote:

I would have thought there would be more general notice / made awareness if 2030 was the likely switch-off for UK Sky satellite TV customers?

It's been regularly discussed for several years in specialist media and mentioned in more widespread publications (including reviews for Glass and Stream)

https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/how-soon-is-satellite-tv-switch-off/

https://www.techradar.com/televisions/the-age-of-satellite-tv-is-ending-sky-q-is-finished-and-sky-st... 

'Notice' would presumably be when two year minimum contract terms are no longer available.

I wonder if Sky have researched how many of their satelilite customers live in rural parts of the country and do not have access to high speed (FTP) broadband?

Given their extensive ISP business division, I imagine they have that figure on a very precise basis.  The national target is 85% of addresses within reach of gigabit-capable broadband by the end of this year (2026), rising to 90%+ by 2030

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8392/ 

Sky very recently published a comprehensive report they commissioned on this topic 

https://www.skygroup.sky/en-gb/article/britain-can-switch-off-terrestrial-tv-in-the-2030s-with-targe... 

It's perhaps also worth remembering that Sky has never actually been obliged to provide universal service: it's just coincidental that satellite television generally does so if a viable dish location is available.

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[TimmyBGood]

Oh, and there was supposed to be this arriving in the UK all the way back in 2018:

 

https://www.skygroup.sky/article/award-winning-sky-q-to-launch-without-a-satellite-dish-bringing-sky... 

It actually was launched in Italy and Austria, but got overtaken by the bidding war and eventual Comcast acquisition.

[rscott]

Latest figures from Ofcom are that around 1.5% of properties can't get at least 30Mbit/s broadband (the minimum speed to be called super fast). That's about the same as the number of properties who can't get satellite TV due to line of sight issues. There are also additional UK properties who can't have satellite because of other constraints (listed buildings, conservation areas, multi user dwellings, etc). 

Overall, it's estimated that more can stream than can use satellite 

[Retchete]

Looks like my Postcode of 5 properties is in that 1.5%; we're rural but not in the sticks. Our cabinet is fibre enabled but there's 3 to 4 miles of copper wire and literally NO plans to upgrade it. Broadband vouchers are still available for those who wish/are able to make alternative provision.  We took advantage of the voucher and now have fixed wireless broadband as we have (just) direct line of site of the mast. If you can imagine from our receiver the signal skims the brow of a hill then across a valley to the mast on another hill. It doesn't take much to block that signal, a cow passing in front of it, an inconveniently placed bale of silage/straw or growth of the trees on the brow of the hill. Managing this takes some effort but we're fortunate that we control the land.  Mobile signal is OKish outside but unreliable in the house. Tried Elon Musks offering and that wasn't consistent and totally rubbish for gaming due to long and variable ping ( not that that that  bothered me, couldn't care less about gaming) not forgetting to mention very expensive. Sky Q satellite works well for us and the reason we got it is that we already had it a a previous address, 3 miles away, that had unusable terrestrial tv signal due to it's location. We moved and took it with us as our new home although better for tv signal would have required a specialist professionaly installed aerial which we couldn't afford at teh time & Sky was doing a deal.  Our next?!door nbeighbour is not as fortunate, despite being just 300 yards away they cannot get the fixed wireless broadband due to the topography and also have pants mobile signal; others in the postcode have the same issues. We also have broadband, of sorts, along with our landline and are in the position that come Jan 2027 we have a choice of losing it or being moved to ee/BT as the provider of last resort, nearest neighbour is also in this position. Another neighbour cannot even get this basic service as the previous occupant  got rid of their landline and there are no spare copper pairs available for them. (there should have been but rather than replace the copper wires when faults appeared they just swapped users to the spare pairs that did work leading eventually to no spares). When Sky eventually withdraws satellite provision we will no longer be their customer and will pay the terrestial tv aerial company a small fortune to install a top end aerial  to be able watch regular tv.   We're not great fans of apps or streaming.

[PandJ2020]

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@Retchete wrote:

...will pay the terrestial tv aerial company a small fortune to install a top end aerial  to be able watch regular tv.   We're not great fans of apps or streaming.

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Just to rub salt into the wounds, the plan is to turn off terrestrial TV broadcast within a decade.

Hopefully they'll sort out everyone for fibre...