Sky TV To Trial Fibre Optic

Sky television keep telling the public to ‘Believe in better’ and this time it looks like they have taken their own advice.  Sky is starting to provide their TV packages, landline telephone services and super-fast broadband (capable of up to 300Mbps), through a fibre optic line instead of a dish; the medium by which they have been receiving content for the last two decades.

To enable Sky to facilitate this venture, the media giant has teamed up with British network provider GTC to integrate their service into new-build homes, thereby providing access to their TV packages, landline phone service and up to 300Mbps broadband in the process.

This deal takes Sky into Virgin Media territory, where the rival firm offers similar entertainment packages over fibre optic cable networks. The deal could end up causing expansion issues to Virgin’s own growth plans in those areas. Although the reach of Sky’s fibre-optic networks will be relatively small compared to Virgin’s.

Sky appears as thought they will be unable to shake their dependence on traditional over-the-air broadcasting though, as their TV signals are actually being fed from a big, centralised satellite receiver. Currently, Sky accesses BT’s fibre-optic infrastructure to distribute super-fast broadband to places across the UK.  He firm does however limit their TV content to online on-demand services such as Sky Go.

Is this an early indication of the start of the end for the satellite dish in favour of super-fast fibre optics for the whole of the UK? Maybe, but the end is not in sight just yet.  There is a certainty however, Virgin Media will be watching this chain of events with a keen eye.

What do you think? Is this a wise move from Sky?  As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via newslocker]

SOURCE: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/08/sky-fibre-optic-tv-uk/