LONDON, July 9 (Reuters) - Britain's Sky said it would

launch the country's fastest broadband service from a major

provider, with a 5 gigabits per second (Gbps) connection thanks

to its tie-up with network operator CityFibre and a hub using

the latest WiFi 7 technology.

The pay-TV company, owned by Comcast ( CMCSA ), announced

last year it would start using CityFibre's network in addition

to BT's national Openreach network.

The top speed offered by Sky is more than 20 times faster

than Britain's average broadband speed of 223 megabits per

second (Mbps), according to data from regulator Ofcom in

December.

The service, available from Wednesday in Sky stores, will

start at 80 pounds ($109) a month. A 2.5 Gbps speed will be

available for 70 pounds.

It will be offered to customer who can access CityFibre's

network, which has a footprint of 4.5 million premises.

($1 = 0.7358 pounds)