EE Broadband Plans: Standard VS Fibre VS Fibre Plus VS Fibre Max

EE offers Standard Broadband, Fibre Broadband and Fibre Plus Broadband. Find out how their broadband plans compare.

EE currently offers a choice of three home broadband plans in most UK households. They are Standard Broadband (with average download speeds of 10Mbps), Fibre broadband (with average download speeds of 36Mbps) and Fibre Plus broadband (with average download speeds of 67Mbps). In around 20% of UK homes, they also offer faster Fibre Max broadband with average download speeds between 145Mbps and 900Mbps.

At present, EE offers home broadband plans from £24 per month. If you’re an EE Pay Monthly customer, you can get this reduced to just £24 per month. You can also benefit from up to 20GB of extra data on your EE Pay Monthly phone, allowing you to do more on your smartphone.

In this article, we’ll review EE’s home broadband service in the UK. We’ll start by comparing the plans they offer including Standard broadband, Fibre broadband and Fibre Plus broadband. We’ll then look at some of the features available on EE broadband, the download speeds available and the router you’ll get on the service. Finally, we’ll look at the availability of the service and how you can switch from your current provider to EE.

EE Home Broadband Plans

Although they’re better known for their 4G & 5G mobile network, EE is also a major provider of home broadband in the UK.

Since 2016, EE has been a part of the BT Group. For this reason, they offer a fairly similar service to what you’ll get on BT Broadband. For instance, both companies use the same underlying network and the same connection into your home for the broadband service. You can also find fairly similar features (for instance, EE’s Smart WiFi service is similar to BT’s Complete Wi-Fi service).

As an EE broadband customer, you’ll normally benefit from lower monthly prices than those available on BT. You’ll also get extra data on your EE mobile contract, allowing you to do more on your phone.

The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of EE’s Standard Broadband, Fibre Broadband and Fibre Plus Broadband plans:

In addition, around 20% of UK homes can get Fibre Max broadband. This uses either Gfast or FTTP (full fibre) technology to deliver even faster download speeds into your home (up to 900Mbps in some cases). There’s also a 4G-based home broadband service called 4GEE Home which doesn’t rely on a fixed-line connection into your home.

Standard Broadband

EE’s entry-level home broadband package is known as Standard Broadband. It’s delivered using ADSL (copper broadband) technology and gives you an average download speed of 10Mbps.

According to EE, Standard Broadband is “best for keeping small households connected”. It should allow you to browse on multiple devices. You can also stream HD-quality video on around two devices at the same time.

For new customers, Standard Broadband currently costs £26 per month (or £26 per month if you’re an EE Pay Monthly mobile customer). This is shown in the following table:

Service	Average Speed	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
EE Standard	10Mbps download	24 month contract	£10	£26/month £26 for EE pay monthly mobile customers

EE’s standard broadband comes with a 5GB mobile data boost if you have an eligible EE mobile plan. You’ll also get a landline included with Pay As You Go calls.

On Standard Broadband, you’ll get an EE Bright Box 1 router included which will allow you to connect your devices to the internet, either using a Wi-Fi connection or using an wired Ethernet cable. Although this is a fairly basic router, it should do the job just fine for basic everyday usage. If you like, you can upgrade it to an EE Smart Router and Disc with the EE Smart Wi-Fi add-on for an extra £10/month.

Fibre Broadband

If you’re looking for a faster connection that uses fibre broadband technology, EE offers a Fibre Broadband plan with average download speeds of 36Mbps. You’ll also get average upload speeds of about 9Mbps.

According to EE, the Fibre Broadband plan is “great for families”, allowing you to do more across multiple devices. For instance, you can browse at the same time on lots of devices and you can stream HD-quality video on up to 7 devices at the same time.

Fibre Broadband is currently available for £24 per month (reduced to £24 per month if you’re an EE Pay Monthly mobile customer):

Service	Average Speed	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
EE Fibre	36Mbps download	24 month contract	£0	£24/month £24 for EE pay monthly mobile customers

On Fibre Broadband, you’ll get a 20GB mobile data boost if you have a 5G phone plan with EE. Alternatively, you’ll get a 5GB mobile data boost if you have any other eligible EE plan. Unlike on Standard Broadband, there’s no phone line included with Fibre broadband. You can add one from £2/month if required.

The Fibre Broadband plan comes with EE’s Smart Hub router. Compared to the Bright Box 1, this is a much more modern router with support for dual-band Wi-Fi 5 technology. EE says the Wi-Fi signal from a Smart Hub is “twice as powerful” as the signal from a Bright Box router. The Smart Hub router also has 4 Gigabit Ethernet sockets for connecting wired devices to your home network.

Fibre Plus Broadband

For faster fibre broadband speeds, you can choose the Fibre Plus broadband plan with average download speeds of 67Mbps (around six times faster than regular broadband). The average upload speed on Fibre Plus broadband is 18Mbps.

EE says Fibre Plus broadband is perfect for “HD streaming, downloading and gaming simultaneously on multiple devices”.

At present, you’ll pay £26 per month for Fibre Plus broadband (discounted to £26 per month if you’re an EE Pay Monthly mobile customer).

Service	Average Speed	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
EE Fibre Plus	67Mbps download	24 month contract	£0	£26/month £26 for EE pay monthly mobile customers

As with Fibre Broadband, you’ll get a 20GB mobile data boost if you have a 5G phone on contract from EE. If you have any other eligible Pay Monthly plan, you’ll get a 5GB mobile data boost instead. If you’d like a landline, you can add one to Fibre Plus broadband with prices starting from £2/month for Pay As You Go calls.

Fibre Max Broadband

In around 20% of UK households, EE now offers a faster service known as Fibre Max Broadband. This is delivered using either Gfast or FTTP (full fibre) technology, depending on which one is available at your address.

On Fibre Max broadband, you can choose from three different plans:

• Fibre Max 100 has average download speeds of 145Mbps and average upload speeds of 28Mbps. This is available at both Gfast and FTTP addresses.
• Fibre Max 500 has average download speeds of 500Mbps and average upload speeds of 73Mbps. This is available at FTTP addresses.
• Full Fibre Max 900 has average download speeds of 900Mbps and average upload speeds of 110Mbps. This plan is only available at homes with a FTTP connection.

The following table shows a list of EE’s Fibre Max broadband plans:

Service	Average Speed	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
EE Fibre Max 100	145Mbps download	24 month contract	£0	£27/month £27 for EE pay monthly mobile customers
EE Fibre Max 500	500Mbps download	24 month contract	£0	£39.50/month £39.50 for EE pay monthly mobile customers
EE Full Fibre Max 900	900Mbps download	24 month contract	£0	£49/month £49 for EE pay monthly mobile customers

The Fibre Max plans come with a 20GB mobile data boost on all EE Pay Monthly mobile phone contracts. Meanwhile, if you have a SIM-only deal from EE, you’ll get a 5GB mobile data boost instead.

You’ll get EE’s latest Smart Router included when you sign up to a Fibre Max broadband plan.

For more information, see our EE Fibre Max review.

4GEE Home

As an alternative to regular fixed-line home broadband, EE also offers 4GEE Home. This is a 4G-powered home broadband service. Instead of using a copper phone line or a fibre optic cable to get broadband into your home, it uses a wireless 4G network connection instead.

In some cases, it might be beneficial choosing 4G home broadband if you’re living at an address where it isn’t possible to get fibre broadband from EE. The disadvantage is you’ll pay quite a bit more for 4G home broadband. Your download speeds are also likely to be more variable and can be affected by things like the weather or network congestion in your area.

At present, you can get 4G home broadband from £35/month, which includes 100GB of data per month. This increases to £50/month if you want unlimited data.

Service	Data Allowance	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
4GEE Home	100GB Data	18 month contract	£0	£35/month
4GEE Home	300GB Data	18 month contract	£0	£45/month
4GEE Home	Unlimited Data	18 month contract	£0	£50/month

If you want an external antenna for your 4G home broadband service, EE charges £100 for their 4GEE Antenna installation service.

Like with fibre broadband, you’ll also get a mobile data boost when you get 4GEE Home. You’ll get a 20GB mobile data boost if you have a 5G phone on contract from EE. If you have any other eligible Pay Monthly plan, you’ll get a 5GB mobile data boost instead.

You won’t be able to use the Smart Wi-Fi service with 4GEE Home.

EE Broadband Features

EE Mobile Data Boost & Discount

If you’re an EE Pay Monthly mobile customer, you’ll get a mobile data boost when you sign up to EE’s home broadband service. This will increase the amount of the data you have to use on your mobile phone plan, either by 5GB or 20GB per month.

In addition to the mobile data boost, you’ll also benefit from a 10% discount on the cost of your EE home broadband plan.

The following table shows how much additional data you’ll get on your mobile plan each month:

There’s more information about how the data boost works on the EE website.

Smart WiFi

EE’s Smart WiFi service is a £10/month add-on that gives you a Wi-Fi boosting Smart Disc. This extends the range of the Wi-Fi network through your home. You’ll also get an upgrade to the latest EE Smart Router along with a portable 4GEE WiFi Mini hotspot to use on-the-go.

The Smart WiFi service makes use of the latest mesh networking technology to give you a single seamless Wi-Fi network throughout your whole home. To start with, EE will send you one WiFi Disc. However, you can request a further two WiFi Discs if they’re needed in your home.

For more information, see our guide to EE Smart WiFi.

Broadband Without Landline

If you choose a fibre broadband plan from EE, you’ll no longer get a landline included with it. EE says this is because many people no longer use their home phones (it’s often far more convenient to use your mobile phone instead).

Because there’s no phone line included with the service, you’ll benefit from a lower monthly price. The broadband service should also be more reliable as there won’t be any home phone traffic to interfere with your broadband.

If you’d like to add a home phone service, prices start from £2/month for Pay As You Go calls. You can also choose an £8/month package with anytime calls to UK landlines & mobiles, or a £12/month package with anytime UK & international calls.

Further information about the home phone packages can be found on the EE website.

Full Fibre Broadband

If you’re living at an address with access to FTTP on the Openreach network, you can now get full fibre broadband from EE. This gives you access to a more reliable connection and download speeds of up to 900Mbps on the Full Fibre Max 900 plan.

At present, around 4 million homes are able to get EE’s full fibre service. This will increase to 4.5 million by March 2021 with a further 3.2 million homes due to get it by the mid-2020s.

To check whether the full fibre plans are available where you live, enter your address on EE’s website:

Check EE Full Fibre Availability →

For more information, see our guide to EE Fibre Max broadband.

Norton Security Premium

As an EE broadband customer, you’ll get access to Norton Security Premium to use on up to 10 devices. This gives you antivirus software that you can use on a PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. It also comes with 25GB of cloud storage for backing up files online and enhanced parental controls software.

If you’re using Norton Security Premium on an Android device, you’ll also get mobile device protection. This allows you to remotely locate your mobile phone and to wipe the information on it should it get lost or stolen.

Your inclusive subscription to Norton Security Premium lasts for 12 months and is worth £79.99. After the first year, it will automatically renew at a discounted price of £39.99 for the second year. This is unless you cancel before the automatic renewal.

EE Broadband Speeds

The following table shows the average download speeds and upload speeds you can expect on EE’s home broadband service in the UK:

The average download speeds quoted by EE are based on what 50% of customers are able to obtain during peak hours (8-10pm). In reality, the actual download speeds where you live may differ based on multiple different factors such as the distance between your home and the nearest street cabinet.

To get a more accurate estimate of the speeds where you live, enter your postcode on EE’s website:

Check EE Broadband Speeds →

On ADSL and fibre broadband, you’ll be given a “minimum guaranteed speed” before you sign up. As per Ofcom’s voluntary code of practice on broadband speeds, you can cancel your service without any penalties during the first 30 days if this minimum guaranteed speed isn’t met.

On 4G broadband, the download speeds can be highly variable. It can differ based on the coverage available in your area and based on the capacity available at your local mast. For this reason, EE doesn’t offer a minimum guaranteed speed on their 4G home broadband service. In general, you’ll normally get a more consistent experience when you choose fibre broadband instead of 4G broadband.

EE Broadband Routers

When you sign up to EE’s home broadband service, you’ll receive an inclusive router. This produces a Wi-Fi network for your other devices to connect to. It also provides 4 Ethernet sockets, allowing you to connect a wired device to your network if required.

The router you’ll get with EE’s home broadband service will depend on the broadband plan you choose:

• Customers on Standard Broadband will receive the Bright Box 1 router. This is EE’s most basic home broadband router. It only supports Wi-Fi 4 technology and hasn’t been updated since mid-2016.
• Customers choosing Fibre broadband or Fibre Plus broadband will receive the EE Smart Hub. This supports dual-band Wi-Fi 5 technology, giving better home network performance.
• Customers choosing a plan with Smart Wi-Fi or Fibre Max broadband will receive the latest EE Smart Router. This delivers even better home network performance and supports mesh wi-fi technology.

The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of the three broadband routers from EE:

	EE Bright Box 1	EE Smart Hub	EE Smart Router
Availability
EE Broadband Plans:	Standard Broadband	Fibre Broadband Fibre Plus Broadband	Smart Wi-Fi Add-On Fibre Max Broadband
Connectivity
Dual-Band Wi-Fi:	No	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity:	802.11b/g/n	802.11a/b/g/n/ac	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Wi-Fi Speed:	Up to 300Mbps	Up to 2,022Mbps	Up to 2,533Mbps
2.4GHz Wi-Fi:	2×2 MIMO (up to 300Mbps)	3×3 MIMO (up to 289Mbps)	3×3 MIMO (up to 800Mbps)
5GHz Wi-Fi:	–	4×4 MIMO (up to 1733Mbps)	4×4 MIMO (up to 1733Mbps)
Smart Wi-Fi (Mesh):	No	No	Yes
Ethernet:	4 10/100Mbps Ethernet ports	4 Gigabit Ethernet ports	4 Gigabit Ethernet ports
USB ports:	1 USB 2.0 port	1 USB 2.0 port	1 USB 2.0 port
Other:	WPA2 / WPA security	WPA2 / WPA security Automatic channel selection & optimisation	WPA2 / WPA security Automatic channel selection & optimisation
Other
Colour:	Black/Grey	Black/Grey	White
More Information:	EE Website	EE Website	EE Website

Customers choosing the EE Smart Wi-Fi service will also receive up to three EE Smart Wi-Fi Booster Discs to use with their Smart Router.

You can find more information about each of the routers on the EE website.

If you’re signing up for 4GEE Home (4G home broadband from EE), you’ll receive an entirely different router.

Coverage & Availability

EE’s home broadband service is currently available in around 98% of UK homes. However, the packages available where you live will vary depending on your address:

• Standard Broadband is available in around 98% of UK homes. It uses ADSL technology over a copper phone line.
• Fibre and Fibre Plus broadband are available in around 91% of UK homes. It normally uses fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology, with a copper connection used for the “last mile” between the cabinet and your home.
• Fibre Max broadband is available in around 20% of UK homes. It uses either G.fast or fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology. With FTTP, a fibre optic cable runs all the way to your home.

To see which EE broadband plans are available at your address, and to see the range of the download speeds available, please enter your postcode on EE’s broadband availability checker:

Check EE Broadband Coverage →

Switching to EE Broadband

If you’re switching from another broadband provider, it’s easy to move your broadband service to EE.

Start by signing up for your new EE broadband plan online. If you decide to add a home phone service, you’ll also be able to keep your current home phone number.

During the sign-up process, EE will give you a go-live date for your new service. This will typically be for around two weeks time. Until your service switches over to EE, your current service will continue to run so there’ll be minimal disruption to your broadband.

On the date that your new EE broadband service goes live, plug in the new router from EE to complete the switchover process. Normally, your old broadband service will be cancelled automatically for you on the same day so there’s no need to call your old provider. However, if you’re a Virgin Media customer, you’ll still need to call them to cancel your old service.

For step-by-step instructions on how to switch from your current provider to EE’s home broadband service, please select your current provider from the drop-down menu below:

For more information, see our in-depth guide to switching broadband provider in the UK.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Information

For more information about EE broadband, please see the official EE website.