Sky broadband customers blindsided by SMTP switch-off

Google mail outsourcing deal deadline bites

By Chris Williams • Get more from this author

Posted in Telecoms, 7th February 2008 12:15 GMT

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Sky broadband customer have been caught on the hop this week as the firm switched off its in-house SMTP servers and completed outsourcing its email provision to Google.

Despite warnings many were unprepared for the deadline, which means they need to update their desktop email programme settings to send and receive new messages. Over the weekend Sky finally mothballed its own system.

Reg reader Richard said: "I think this is going to catch a *lot* of people out, as the Sky registration letter with these login details on didn't say what the details were for, so I suspect a lot of people will have binned that letter many months before."

The deal was originally announced back at the end of 2006 and migration to the new platform has been going on for several months, not without hitches. Sky's hope that customers wouldn't need to change settings manually proved over-optimistic.

Anyone having trouble could do a lot worse than head down to Skyuser. There's an official guide here (pdf). ®

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