Mobile operator and UK ISP EE has today reintroduced converged pricing on their fixed line ADSL, FTTC and G.fast based home broadband plans, which in simple terms means that the operator’s existing Pay Monthly mobile customers will pay less than somebody who just orders their fixed line service by itself.
The move, which appears as if it could be a response to Vodafone’s low cost approach through a similar pricing strategy, is a useful way of ensuring greater customer retention. On the other hand it may have the effect of discouraging new customers who might not want to take one of EE’s mobile plans.
Otherwise EE’s home broadband packages all come attached to an 18 month contract term (except on their ADSL plan where you get a choice of 12 or 18 months), Smart Hub wireless router, unlimited usage and phone line rental. Customers who take their ADSL and FTTC based standard and superfast broadband plans will also get 5GB extra data each month on their EE Pay Monthly mobile plans, which jumps to 20GB for ultrafast broadband (G.fast).
On top of that all packages have the option to add an Apple TV 4K box at extra cost. A summary of the new pricing structure can be found below.
NOTE: If you need a brand new line installed then that attracts an extra £50 charge.
Standard Broadband 10Mbps
Price (non-EE Mobile): £22.50 a month (plus £10 one-off setup)
Price (with EE Mobile): £20 a month (plus £10 one-off setup)Fibre 36Mbps
Price (non-EE Mobile): £27 a month (free setup)
Price (with EE Mobile): £23 a month (free setup)Fibre Plus 67Mbps
Price (non-EE Mobile): £30 a month (free setup)
Price (with EE Mobile): £27 a month (free setup)Fibre Max 145Mbps
Price (non-EE Mobile): £40 a month (plus £25 one-off setup)
Price (with EE Mobile): £36 a month (plus £25 one-off setup)Fibre Max 300Mbps
Price (non-EE Mobile): £48 a month (plus £25 one-off setup)
Price (with EE Mobile): £43 a month (plus £25 one-off setup)
At this point we have to say that EE have been a bit naughty because they previously showed their post-contract prices alongside the package summary when ordering, but upon conducting an order test for their new non-EE mobile pricing today we noticed this had been moved to the small print: “Standard Broadband £32; Fibre £37; Fibre Plus £42; Fibre Max 145 £49; Fibre Max 300 £54.”
As we’ve said many times before, broadband ISPs should NEVER hide their post-contract pricing away in the small print (sadly EE’s parent, BT has also recently started doing this again and so have a few of the other providers) as it can mislead consumers.
Mesh Wi-Fi
One other key change in today’s new package line-up is that EE has launched their own take on a Mesh WiFi solution, which is of course similar to the approach taken by parent BT. The new EE Smart WiFi home solution includes a new Smart Router (BT Smart Hub), Smart WiFi Discs and inclusive 4GEE WiFi Mini device (the latter is loaded with 2GB of data per month for use at home and away – and additional back-up data as required).
All broadband customers who take this service will receive one Smart WiFi Disc (repeater) at point of purchase and can increase this to up to three discs throughout their plan. Each disc can support up to 60 devices. The Smart WiFi service itself is available on all EE fixed home broadband plans for an extra £10 per month for 18 months.
EE has also launched a new EE Home app, which among other things can help customers to optimise their home WiFi experience. Once a customer is up and running, they can then use it to manage their connection and see which devices are connected at any given time, no matter where they are in the house. The app allows customers to set access controls and set up device groups that can be controlled separately (parental controls).
Finally, in the event that a customer has a problem with their home broadband, EE will boost the data allowance on their 4GEE WiFi Mini with up to 250GB of extra data until it is resolved.
