EE Home Broadband Review 2023 - Is EE Broadband Any Good?
Review article by Steve Tattersall, Broadband Technology Writer, last updated 23 May 2023
What We Like (Pros): Higher than average customer satisfaction levels, second-fewest broadband complaints in the industry for Q4 2022, broadband discounts and 20GB monthly data boost for EE pay monthly mobile customers, short call waiting times when I tested contacting them (just under a minute)
What We Dislike (Cons): No 12 month or 1 month broadband contract options, TV package is just Apple TV and is only available to existing EE mobile customers, gigabit speed availability (full fibre via Openreach) is less than Virgin Media's
Our Verdict: 4 out of 5
In this review: 1. Introduction 2. EE Broadband - At a glance 3. EE Broadband speed performance 4. EE Broadband prices, including EE Full Fibre 5. Comparable services: EE Fibre Broadband versus BT Fibre & Sky Fibre 6. EE home phone review 7. EE Broadband & TV deals 8. EE package & router details 9. Installation & setup 10. EE Broadband customer service performance 11. Questions & Answers 12. Our final verdict on EE Broadband
1. Introduction
A division of the BT Group, EE was established back in 2010 through the merger of the T-Mobile and Orange businesses in the UK. Fast forward to today and EE is widely regarded as the UK's number one mobile network with superfast 4G and 5G services. It is also a well respected UK Internet Service Provider that utilises BT's Openreach network & technology to provide a range of home phone and broadband packages. These include ultrafast Full Fibre Max packages with top average speeds of 100Mbps, 500Mbps and 900Mbps (please note, coverage is currently limited to around 10 million UK homes). Read on to find out what we uncover about EE Broadband speeds and customer service performance. We'll tell you what we like and dislike, compare EE against BT & Sky and give our final verdict. Then, if you're decide EE's for you, you can start your EE Broadband order from this page.
2. EE Broadband - At A Glance
- Average speeds: Broadband 10Mbps, Fibre 36Mbps, Fibre Plus 67Mbps, Full Fibre Max 100Mbps, Full Fibre Max 500Mbps & Full Fibre Max 900Mbps. Geographic availability of EE Full Fibre Max products currently stands at just over 10 million UK homes
- EE Broadband prices: £24p/m for Fibre, £26p/m for Fibre Plus, £27p/m for Full Fibre Max 100, £39.50p/m for Full Fibre Max 500 & £49p/m for Full Fibre Max 900. There is an option to have no landline phone service with all Fibre packages. Existing EE pay monthly mobile customers can qualify for a 10% discount on these prices - that's up to £5 per month off (terms apply)
- Limited time offers: No setup fee, saving £20. £50 switching credit if you're charged for early cancellation by your existing provider, 12 months FREE subscription to Norton Security Premium for up to ten devices worth £79.99, up to 20GB monthly mobile data boost to new and existing EE Pay Monthly Phone or 12 month SIM Only customers (one boost per household)
- EE Smart Wi-Fi Review - Pay an extra £10 a month for EE Smart Wi-Fi (EE's Wi-Fi Booster for the home) and receive the following benefits; the next-generation EE Smart Router, EE Wi-Fi boosting discs to give you a stronger Wi-Fi connection around the home, easy setup and the ability to pause the Internet on any device with the EE Home app, plus a handy and portable 4GEE Wi-Fi Mini Hotspot with 250GB of mobile data should your EE Home Broadband develop a fault or go down
- EE Broadband customer complaints Q4 2022: 7 complaints per 100,000 customers, the second fewest complaints in the industry versus an average of 11 per 100,000 (Source: Latest Ofcom Telecoms & Pay TV Complaints Report Q4 2022, published April 27th 2023)
- EE Broadband customer satisfaction 2022: 85% satisfaction with overrall EE Home Broadband services, higher than the industry average of 82% (Source: Ofcom Comparing Customer Service Report, published 18th May 2023)
- EE Broadband call centres have been awarded 'The Best Large Contact Centre' in the UK CXA Customer Experience Awards with 100% of calls answered by call centres in the UK and Ireland. They also pick up the phone quicky - in just under a minute when we tested contacting them
- Easy ordering & switching: We tested placing an EE Home Broadband online application and it took about 10 minutes. Once you've ordered, EE will handle the whole switch-over for you (note, the only exception is Virgin Media customers)
3. EE Broadband Speed Performance
The EE broadband download speeds of 36Mbps for Fibre and 67Mbps for Fibre Plus are average download speeds that are available to at least 50% of EE Broadband customers at peak times (8pm-10pm, 7 days a week). These speeds are similar to the average speeds of other major broadband suppliers that use the Openreach (part of the BT Group) network.
In Ofcom's March 2023 UK Home Broadband Performance Chart Data, EE broadband speeds (which are in effect BT speeds), together with that of other major providers, are tested against their advertised speeds to see how close they match up. EE's 36Mbps Fibre package was found to have an equivalent average 24-hour download speed of 32.48Mbps with a 10.81 milliesecond (ms) latency/ping. The EE 67Mbps Fibre Plus package had an average speed of 67.38Mbps with a 9.62ms latency/ping. It's therefore fair to conclude that EE's real world broadband speeds pretty much match up with their advertised speeds. Please note that no Ofcom data was available for EE's ultrafast Full Fibre Max 100, 500 & 900 packages, which is to be expected given how new the packages are.
Naturally, before you complete your online order for EE Broadband, EE will supply you with an estimation of the download speed you are likely to receive at the main phone socket in your home (where you should plug your router in). We also received an email from EE about this. Bear in mind, internal factors like the use of phone extension leads may have an impact on your broadband and subsequent Wi-Fi speeds. It's also worth noting that unlike some other UK broadband suppliers, EE will never slow your connection down, even at peak times of the day.
4. Compare EE Broadband Prices
EE Home Broadband fibre prices start from just £24 a month on a 24 month contract. EE Broadband Extras like FREE Norton Security Premium for a year, plus up to a 20GB monthly mobile data boost to your EE mobile tariff are included, while a £50 switching credit is available.
Provider | Package Details | Average Speed* | Download Limit | Contract Period | Costs | More Info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Average speed*: 36Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £288, £24* per month |
![]() EE Fibre Broadband *For 24 months. Includes EE phone line rental. Annual price increase applies |
36Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £24.00*
1st year cost: £288.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 + 5GB Mobile Data Boost Find out more at EE 10% Discount Available For EE Pay Monthly Mobile Customers |
![]() Average speed*: 67Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £312, £26* |
![]() EE Fibre Plus Broadband * For 24 months. Includes EE phone line rental. Annual price increase applies |
67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £26.00*
1st year cost: £312.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 + 5GB Mobile Data Boost Find out more at EE 10% Discount Available For EE Pay Monthly Mobile Customers |
![]() Average speed*: 100Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £324, £27* |
![]() EE Full Fibre Max 100 Broadband * For 24 months. Annual price increase applies |
100Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £27.00*
1st year cost: £324.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 + 20GB Mobile Data Boost Limited availability - Check your area at EE 10% Discount Available For EE Pay Monthly Mobile Customers |
![]() Average speed*: 500Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £474, £39.50* |
![]() EE Full Fibre Max 500 Broadband * For 24 months. Annual price increase applies |
500Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £39.50*
1st year cost: £474.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 + 20GB Mobile Data Boost Limited availability - Check your area at EE 10% Discount Available For EE Pay Monthly Mobile Customers |
![]() Average speed*: 900Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £588, £49* |
![]() EE Full Fibre Max 900 Broadband * For 24 months. Annual price increase applies |
900Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £49.00*
1st year cost: £588.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 + 20GB Mobile Data Boost Limited availability - Check your area at EE 10% Discount Available For EE Pay Monthly Mobile Customers |
5. Compare EE Fibre Broadband Versus BT Fibre & Sky Fibre
Take a look at the table below to compare the speeds and prices of EE Fibre Broadband versus Sky Fibre and BT Fibre. Use our fibre broadband checker to see how EE Fibre Broadband stacks up against other providers.
Provider | Package Details | Average Speed* | Download Limit | Contract Period | Costs | More Info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Average speed*: 67Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £312, £26* |
![]() EE Fibre Plus Broadband * For 24 months. Includes EE phone line rental. Annual price increase applies |
67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £26.00*
1st year cost: £312.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 + 5GB Mobile Data Boost Find out more at EE 10% Discount Available For EE Pay Monthly Mobile Customers |
![]() Average Speed*: 59Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £289, £17* |
![]() Unlimited Sky Broadband Superfast + Unlimited Sky WiFi + Sky Talk Pay As You Go Calls To UK Landlines & Mobiles * For 7 months, £34p/m after. Includes Sky phone line rental. Pricing may change during this 18 month period |
59Mb | Unlimited | 18 months |
Monthly cost £17.00*
1st year cost: £289.00 £0.00 setup |
No Setup Fees + HALF PRICE Until The End Of 2023 Find out more at Sky Includes Sky Wall To Wall Wi-Fi Guarantee |
![]() Average speed*: 67Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £359.88, £29.99* |
![]() BT Fibre 2 Broadband *For 24 months. No landline phone service included (can be added if required). Annual price increase applies |
67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £29.99*
1st year cost: £359.88 £0.00 setup |
Add BT TV From £10p/m Find out more at BT £100 BT Virtual Reward Card To Go Shopping With |
6. EE Home Phone Review
All EE Fibre Broadband packages are available without a landline phone service, however, if you love your landline and make plenty of calls from your home phone during the day, it's easy to add an EE Home Phone calling plan to your broadband package. Pay as you go calls to UK landlines can be enabled for £2 a month, while anytime calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles (1,500 mobile minutes) is £8 a month - which I think is pretty good value. For £12 a month, calls to landlines in 50 countries is included, together with anytime calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles (1,500 mobile minutes).
If you choose to add the EE pay as you go home phone calling plan, any calls you make using your home phone will be charged at EE's standard call rates.
7. Compare EE Home Broadband & Apple TV 4K Deals
Provider | Package Details | Average Speed* | Download Limit | Contract Period | Costs | More Info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Average speed*: 36Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £576, £48* per month |
![]() EE Fibre Broadband + Apple TV 4K (Access To A Range Of Apps Like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, UK TV, Netflix, Prime Video and NOW TV, plus FREE BT Sport) *For 24 months. Includes EE phone line rental. Annual price increase applies |
36Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £48.00*
1st year cost: £576.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 Available to EE Mobile customers only - Find out more at EE FREE BT Sport + 5GB Mobile Data Boost |
![]() Average speed*: 67Mb, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £612, £51* |
![]() EE Fibre Plus Broadband + Apple TV 4K (Access To A Range Of Apps Like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, UK TV, Netflix, Prime Video and NOW TV, plus FREE BT Sport) * For 24 months. Includes EE phone line rental. Annual price increase applies |
67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months |
Monthly cost £51.00*
1st year cost: £612.00 £0.00 setup |
FREE Setup (Save £20) + FREE Norton Security Premium Worth £79.99 Available to EE Mobile customers only - Find out more at EE FREE BT Sport + 5GB Mobile Data Boost |
8. EE Broadband Package & Router Details
EE offer superfast, ultrafast and full fibre broadband packages with prices starting from just £24 per month including EE phone line rental. Pricing is cheaper (up to 10%) if you're an existing EE Pay Monthly Mobile customer. With EE's unlimited broadband usage offers, customers simply pay a flat monthly fee for average speeds ranging from 36Mbps to 67Mbps and beyond with Fibre Max 100, 500 and 900.
Unlimited EE Fibre Broadband
What You Get:
- Average download speeds of 36Mb
- Unlimited monthly download usage allowance
- FREE 'n' class 'Bright Box' wireless router for wireless EE broadband access. The Bright Box supports remote access, has 4 ethernet ports and a built in dual-band antenna
- Online protection with 12 months FREE Norton Security Premium for up to 10 devices
- FREE customer support
- EE home phone line rental included
- Choose from a range of EE home phone calling plans from £2 a month
- 24 month contract applies
- Available to new customers and existing EE customers
- Cost is £24 per month for 24 months (10% discount for EE pay monthly mobile customers). This price includes EE phone line rental. No setup fee currently applies
- Please click here for further information at ee.co.uk
Unlimited EE Fibre Broadband Plus
What You Get:
- Average download speeds of 67Mb
- Unlimited monthly download usage allowance
- FREE top of the range Smart Hub wireless router for wireless EE broadband access. This is EE's most powerful router to date providing a stronger and more reliable Wi-Fi signal all around the home. For me, it certainly looks and feels more stylish than the 'Brightbox' router. With automatic setup and autosensing, the EE Smart Hub has 7 internal WiFi antennas ensuring maximum Wi-Fi capacity for all of your connected devices. It features WPA2 wireless security, Dual Wi-Fi bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz, a USB port and 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports. There's also EE Access Control which enables parents to login to the Smart Hub to set daily Wi-Fi access times and schedules for their kids games consoles, tablets and smartphones - a feature I found to be very useful.
- Online protection with 12 months FREE Norton Security Premium for up to 10 devices
- FREE customer support
- Optional EE landline phone service
- Choose from a range of EE home phone calling plans from £2 a month
- 24 month contract applies
- Available to new customers and existing EE customers
- Cost is £26 per month for 24 months (10% discount for EE pay monthly mobile customers). This price includes EE phone line rental. No setup fee currently applies
- Please click here for further information at ee.co.uk
9. Installation & Setup
Once you've ordered EE Broadband, you'll receive an email and text from EE with the order confirmation details and the expected date of your broadband activation.
If you're new to EE Broadband or need a new router as part of your order, your wireless router will arrive on or just before your activation day. You don't have to stay in waiting for your router to arrive as in most cases, it will be posted through your letter box. You can track your broadband or TV order and the delivery of your router or TV box by logging into the My EE section of the EE website.
EE will let you know via text or email the morning your EE broadband is due to go live and again when it's live. This could be any time up to midnight. Once your broadband is live you can set up your router, which should be pretty straight-forward. Set up instructions do come with the router, while you can also use EE's Online Setup Guide for more information on the router settings, or the EE Virtual Support app.
Once you're up and running, EE will fine-tune your phone line to make sure you're getting the best possible connection. Therefore, you may notice your broadband connection drop or that your speed fluctuates for the first 10 days.
According to Ofcom's Comparing Service Quality Report (last published in May 2023), from broadband order to delivery, it takes EE on average 14 days to complete, which is slower than the industry average of 11.
10. EE Broadband Customer Service Performance, Satisfaction, Support, Complaints & Phone Numbers
EE Broadband Customer Service can be contacted for free by dialling 150 from an EE Mobile or 0800 079 8586 from an EE landline. Customers can also dial 0207 362 0200. Opening hours are 8am-9pm Monday to Friday and 8am-8pm Saturday and Sunday. According to the Ofcom Comparing Customer Service Report (last published May 18th 2023), EE Broadband call waiting times are on average 1 minute 6 seconds, far quicker than the industry average call waiting time of 2 minutes 37 seconds. When I tested this for myself I was through to an EE adviser in just under a minute, that's pretty good.
For Service queries and support, the Customer Service team can also be contacted by Webchat.
For Technical queries, Webchat can also be used to contact the Technical team.
Comprehensive online Help and Support guides are also available, while the vibrant EE community is also a good source of information and advice.
With regards to broadband complaints, EE recorded the second fewest broadband complaints in the industry in Q4 2022 at just 7 complaints per 100,000 customers, compared to an average of 11 per 100,000 (Source: Latest Ofcom Telecoms & Pay TV Complaints Report Q4 2022, published April 27th 2023)
Looking at how happy or not EE Broadand customers are, the Ofcom Comparing Customer Service report 2022 (published in May 2023) shows that EE Broadband customers had 85% satisfaction with overrall EE Broadband services, out-performing the industry average of 82%. For further information, please see Ofcom's Comparing Customer Service Report 2022.
11. Questions & Answers
Question 1. What's the quickest way to contact EE Customer Services?
Answer 1. I usually choose Webchat, but in my tests, I was able to speak to someone in EE Customer Services in just under a minute.
Question 2. Is EE Broadband worth switching to if I'm not an EE mobile customer?
Answer 2. I would probably say no as you're miss out on the broadband discount of up to 10% and the 20GB mobile data boost. If you're out of contract on your mobile or SIM, it would be worth looking at EE's mobile deals alongside an EE Home Broadband plan.
Question 3. Do EE full fibre broadband packages include a landline phone service?
Answer 3. No, a traditional landline phone service is not included with EE Full Fibre plans.
Question 4. How does EE Broadband's £50 switching credit work?
Answer 4. If you're in contract with your existing broadband supplier on the day you join EE Broadband and have paid early contract cancellation charges to them, you may be entitled to a £50 switching credit from EE. You must provide evidence and claim within 90 days of your EE Broadband service being activated. You can do this at https://50credit.ee.co.uk/
Question 5. How Do I Qualify For The £120 XBox Game Pass Ultimate Or EE Gamer's Data Pass Offer With EE Broadband?
Answer 5: You'll need to be an existing EE pay monthly mobile customer taking or upgrading to an EE Full Fibre 500 or 900 broadband package.
12. Our Final Verdict On EE Broadband
EE Home Broadband Review - Our Final Comment And Rating |
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Final Rating - 4 out of 5 ![]() |
Although not the cheapest in the market, EE offer an excellent range of value for money home broadband plans that are backed up by impressive customer service, satisfaction and complaints statistics. With actual broadband speeds pretty much matching what EE advertise, coupled with the impressive Smart Hub router, EE Broadband is worth serious consideration, especially if you're an existing EE pay monthly mobile customer as a 10% discount applies. |
Latest EE Home Broadband Reviews & Ratings By Customers
If you're unsure as to some of the terms used on this page, please read our beginner's guide to broadband or our guide to switching supplier.
Important note
We are not EE. We do not provide broadband, phone or TV connections ourselves. Should you have a problem with your EE order or connection, we advise you to contact EE directly.
We specialise in offering you independent advice, reviews and tools that should help you choose the right broadband provider and package for you. We provide this impartial service to you for free, whilst being paid a small commission from each ISP we generate a new customer for - so we are like an Independent Financial Advisor. You do not pay any extra for your chosen broadband package by signing up through this site.
About The Author, Steve Tattersall
Steve Tattersall is a broadband technology writer with 20 years experience within the Internet industry. Based in Hampshire, England, he founded the BBC recognised broadband information site, BroadbandInternetUk.com, in 2004 and is currently the Director Of Marketing & Operations. During this time he has helped thousands of people across the UK with their Internet requirements by compiling a comprehensive range of broadband information, comparison tools and guides, all delivered on BroadbandInternetUk.com.
A graduate of Buckinghamshire New University (Brunel Business School) with a first class honours degree in Business, Steve has first hand experience of working for a broadband provider, having had a previous career at the broadband supplier NTL. Following its merger with rival Telewest, NTL is now known as Virgin Media, one of the UK's leading broadband, phone & TV providers.
If you would like to contact Steve, please visit the contact us page or follow him on Twitter. You can also find out more about BroadbandInternetUk.com on our about us page.
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