EE Broadband Review 2023

Author: Emma Davenport

Last updated: 18 October 2023

EE broadband review

A home broadband deal from EE is a safe choice. You can get a wide range of affordable broadband packages, with a few handy extra features. EE now also offers very fast FTTP (Fibre To The Premises) broadband in some areas, with download speeds up to 900Mb.

Unfortunately, the upload performance is less impressive.

EE Broadband: In summary

EE Broadband Speed

EE has an extensive choice of speeds, including ultrafast, full-fibre services.

EE Broadband

• Download speed: 10Mb
• Upload speed: 1Mb

The basic EE package can be suitable for single people or small homes who won’t use the internet to stream or download too often.

However, this speed is now slow by modern standards, so we don’t recommend this service unless you can’t get fibre. EE fibre is not only faster, but it also costs about the same, too.

EE Fibre 36 Essentials

• Download speed: 36Mb
• Upload speed: 9Mb

EE Fibre 50 Essentials

• Download speed: 51Mb
• Upload speed: 9Mb

EE Fibre 67 Essentials

• Download speed: 67Mb
• Upload speed: 18Mb

Unless full fibre is available in your area, these will be the fastest EE broadband packages available. 

Many homes will find EE Fibre good enough, but Full Fibre does offer a significant upgrade in speed without costing you too much extra.

EE Full Fibre 74 Essentials

• Download speed: 74Mb
• Upload speed: 20Mb

EE Full Fibre 150 Essentials

• Download speed: 149Mb
• Upload speed: 30Mb

EE Full Fibre 300 Essentials

• Download speed: 308Mb
• Upload speed: 51Mb

EE Full Fibre 500 Essentials

• Download speed: 500Mb
• Upload speed: 73Mb

EE Full Fibre Gigabit Essentials

• Download speed: 900Mb
• Upload speed: 110Mb

EE Full Fibre 1.6Gb

• Download speed: 1.6Gb
• Upload speed: 120Mb

You'd be hard pushed to find a home broadband package faster than EE's new 1.6Gb offering. With speeds this fast, it would be possible to download a 1-hour standard definition show (450Mb) in just two seconds.

To sign up to these Full Fibre packages, you'll need to be in an area with Fibre To The Premises. 

• What is Fibre To The Premises broadband?

  Full Fibre broadband is also known as ‘Fibre To The Premises’, ‘Fibre To The Home’. This is often shortened to FTTP or FTTH. They’re all the same thing!

  Instead of copper telephone wire making up the final part of the journey from that green cabinet on the street, fibre optic cables are installed right up to your home.

  It’s amazing the difference in speed this small data journey can have. With full-fibre broadband you can expect to receive speeds of 1Gb+.

  The downside is full-fibre is only available to a small percentage of homes in the UK, and it’s taking a good while to get everyone up to speed.

This is currently quite limited in reach compared to other broadband services, so not everyone will be able to get it. By using our deals checker, we’ll be able to tell you if Full Fibre is an option. 

EE broadband speed summary

Ofcom data from the UK Home Broadband Performance Report published in September 2023 shows EE sadly lagging behind other broadband providers. Unfortunately, over the course of 2023 its performance has dropped from a fairly respective 90.2% of advertised rate to just over 85.2%.

EE’s advertised broadband download and upload speeds are still roughly in line with other Openreach network providers. 

In addition to the regular ADSL and fibre optic packages, EE has also started offering much quicker Gigabit deals, with download speeds up to 1.6Gb.

However, availability for these packages is limited as it uses Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) technology. Only a few homes can currently access these services. In many cases, the fastest speed you'll be able to get is 67Mb. Unfortunately, if you aren’t in an FTTP-accessible area, you won’t be able to do anything about this.

Although EE's Full Fibre packages can deliver some very impressive download speeds, the upload rates aren’t as high. They’re not bad, not at all, but it’s a shame that EE doesn't offer symmetrical broadband like other FTTP providers, such as Hyperoptic.

EE Broadband Customer Service

In our 2023 survey, user reviews give EE an average customer score of 3.4. We also have Ofcom customer service data for EE. The results are fairly positive overall.

• Overall satisfaction: 85% (average broadband score 82%)
• Satisfaction with complaints handling: 55% (average broadband score 51%)
• Complaints resolved on first contact: 39% (average broadband score 39%)
• Complaints received by Ofcom: 22 per 100,000 subscribers (average score 44)
• Complaints completely resolved: 48% (average broadband score 50%)
• Call waiting time: 66 seconds (average waiting time 1:57)

EE has made improvements since 2022. It offers one of the lowest waiting call times of all the providers. 

In Ofcom's October 2023 Report: Complaints about broadband, landline, mobile and pay-TV services, EE was one of the least complained about broadband providers. Between April and June 2023, it received 7 complaints per 100,000 subscribers. To put this into perspective, the industry average was 12 per 100,000 subscribers.

Overall, these Ofcom report seems to suggest that EE could be a good option.

EE Value for Money

When comparing prices, you’ll find that EE fibre optic and ADSL broadband deals usually sit in the middle of the pack. It’s neither the cheapest nor the most expensive on offer. 

But EE does offer a couple of nice extras in the form of a free data boost for EE Mobile customers. You'll also either receive a 6-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for the Full Fibre 500 Essentials plan or a 12-month pass if you sign up to Full Fibre Gigabit Essentials. A great bonus if you or someone else in your household is a gamer.

You no longer need a landline when you sign up to any of EE's fibre or full fibre packages. This could mean a significant saving every month on unnecessary line rental fees.

Just remember, if you do take up broadband without a landline and cancel your connection, you will lose your home phone number, and your home phone will no longer work.

EE Reliability

EE regularly shows live outage problems on Downdetector. However, this isn’t necessary a sign of poor service, especially when it has a much wider customer base than some ISPs.

Real customer feedback is a better indication of reliability. In our 2023 Broadband Awards, EE came out with a 64.7% reliability satisfaction level. 

In Ofcom's 2023 customer service report, the number of customers with a reason to complain was well below the average for EE (13% opposed to the average of 20%).

EE is signed up to both Ofcom's voluntary code of practice for automatic compensation and the code of practice on better broadband speeds.

EE Bundled Wi-Fi router

EE has three different routers: the Smart Hub Wi-Fi router (worth £129.99), the Smart Hub Plus (Smart Hub 3), and the slightly older Brightbox for its ADSL package. 

Router installation

Setting up your SmartHub router shouldn't be difficult and, unless you need to have a line installed, you'll be able to do this yourself. However, if you do need technical support, you can speak to an advisor every day of the week. There are clear instructions online for all past and present routers, as well as helpful video tutorials available.

See more: EE broadband customer service contacts, problems and complaints

• EE Broadband extras

  EE Mobile Data Boost

  EE Mobile customers who sign up for EE home broadband can claim a free monthly data boost.

  EE early cancellation credit

  EE offers £50 credit if you're charged when switching to EE. 

  Generally, you should only be charged for cancellation if you leave mid-contract. And that’s something that's best avoided due to the cost anyway. But if you do find yourself in that situation, it's reassuring to know that you can get something back from EE.

  However, the charge could easily exceed £50, so don't rely on EE's offer to cover everything.

  Free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

  EE Full Fibre 500 or Gigabit customers can claim a 6 or 12-month subscription to Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which usually costs £10 per month. 

  The Game Pass provides free access to hundreds of titles on Xbox games consoles and Windows PC. You can also stream over 100 games to a mobile device using the Xbox cloud player. If you’re an Xbox player this will be worth it, if not, you don’t have to claim the subscription.

EE: Expert Summary

EE home broadband deals aren’t the cheapest, but they offer decent value. Prices are reasonable, speeds are good, and it has a few useful extras.  And our survey results and Ofcom data indicate customer service is of a reasonably high standard.

It can also deliver ultrafast speeds, if you’re lucky enough to live near a FTTP network.

However, while EE's Full Fibre packages are no slouch on downloads, the numbers aren’t quite as impressive when it comes to upload speeds. Some other providers are offering full-fibre broadband with the same upload and download speed. If you're in an FTTP network area, it’s worth taking the time to compare options.

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