EE is owned by the BT Group, whose ventures also include Plusnet and BT. EE offer a range of services, including standard ADSL broadband, fibre broadband, 4G & 5G home broadband, landline call packages, mobile phones and subscription TV plans.
Despite BT & EE being part of the BT Group, their broadband and home phone packages are not the same. However, the infrastructure is identical as both providers use the BT Openreach network. Each provider has its pros & cons - it just depends on what you need.
BT offers their broadband customers free access to over 5 million Wi-Fi hotspots, which you don’t get as an EE customer. They also offer you a BT Smart Hub 2 router - one of the best ISP routers on the market! It’s worth noting, however, that when your BT contract ends – you’ll need to hand your router back to BT! However, EE will let you keep your router at the end of your contract. EE will also offer to pay £50 towards any early termination charges if you leave your current provider before your contract expires. EE's landline calls are pay-as-you-go unless you upgrade to an ‘inclusive calls’ plan. Broadband-only options are available if you don't want a landline.
EE broadband and BT are very similar price-wise, but their special offers vary considerably. For example, if you’re already an EE mobile pay monthly customer (on a minimum 12-month contract), you will automatically be eligible for a 10% discount off the standard EE broadband rates. You’ll also be able to take advantage of their current offer of an Xbox Games pass worth up to £120 with selected Full Fibre plans plus a free 4K Apple TV. And, you’ll receive up to 20Gb data boost for your EE mobile (data boost applies to one phone per household).
If you order any EE fibre broadband package, you’ll receive the EE Smart Hub router which is a re-branded BT Smart Hub. It supports 802.11ac technology and is also backwards compatible with 802.11b/g/n, The EE Smart Hub is a dual-band router which means it can provide Wi-Fi on both the standard 2.4Ghz frequency and the faster 5Ghz Wi-Fi range. When comparing the download speed to some other leading providers, the EE Smart Hub came out better than the Virgin Media Super Hub 2 AC, the Sky Q router and the Plusnet One router. The Wi-Fi range is more than twice that of the Bright Box 1 router. This is in part due to the upgraded 3x3 11n + 4x4 11ac antenna system (basically seven internal antennas), which also makes it capable of achieving a data transfer rate of 1917Mbps over Wi-Fi. The router also has 4x gigabit Ethernet LAN ports on the rear.
EE offer 4G home broadband without a phone line. There are no installation fees, it works simply via a router with a sim card. With a 4GEE home router, you can choose between an 18-month pay-monthly, 30-day, or pay-as-you-go plan. Average speeds are 31Mbps and the router is portable within the UK. It can be cost-effective if there are minimal users and only light usage (i.e. emails and web browsing).
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