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Background & history
EE was created in 2010 from the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, switched on the UK's first 4G in 2012, and has topped independent network testing more often than any rival since. It belongs to BT Group, and BT's consumer services are progressively moving under the EE brand — one roof, one login, mobile plus broadband plus TV.
| Born | 2010 (Orange + T-Mobile) |
| First UK 4G | 2012 |
| Owner | BT Group |
| Hosts on its masts | 1pMobile |
| 3G switch-off | 2024 |
| Position | The premium seller — broadest coverage, priced accordingly |
Plans & pricing structure
| Tier ladder | Small buckets to unlimited, priced above the value brands — the coverage record is what you're paying for |
| Bundled extras | Streaming/security riders on bigger tiers — count them only if you'd have bought them anyway |
| Family SIMs | Extra SIMs on one account earn discounts and shared perks |
| Pay as you go | Light, checkless — and a fine audition tool |
| The budget back door | 1pMobile rides identical masts for pennies |
| Upgrade schemes | Yearly-upgrade offers are a rolling fee for permanent newness — a subscription, not a saving |
Watch out: EE's premium airtime makes the after-contract drift the most expensive in mobile. Diary your end date the day you sign.
eSIM support
- One of the smoothest in-app eSIM flows in the UK; broad flagship support; live in minutes.
- PAC to 65075 for number moves, as everywhere.
- Long trips: EE line + local data eSIM usually beats daily roaming fees.
- Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling: long-standing, mature — both on.
Watch out: As BT folds services behind one EE login, that login guards mobile, broadband and more. Strongest password you own; every extra protection on.
Home broadband
EE Broadband runs on Openreach lines — the street's wiring decides, not masts — with BT's consumer broadband migrating under the EE name. A 4G/5G router option covers badly wired streets.
- Mobile + broadband on one account keeps unlocking discounts and family-SIM data boosts — often decisive for multi-SIM households.
- The same one-account convenience creates gravity at exit time; legally the PAC text doesn't care.
Roaming & data policy
| Europe default | Most newer plans charge a daily fee |
| The exception | Certain higher tiers include a Roam Abroad-style pass restoring inclusive roaming, occasionally beyond Europe — plan generation and tier decide; the app confirms |
| Ceilings | Fair-use limits abroad on everything |
| At home | Unlimited is honest on the handset; hotspot users read the tethering clause |
| 5G+ note | EE leads the country on standalone 5G — snappier where live, still the smallest layer, newest handsets only |
Fees, charges & the app
| Premium pricing | Judge post-discount; the premium buys the coverage record |
| Mid-contract rises | Pounds-and-pence disclosure since January 2025 — historically EE's sorest customer subject; read that line twice |
| Early exit | Inside fixed terms only; itemised in the PAC reply |
| Out of contract | The dearest drift in mobile — the yearly re-shop matters most here |
The EE app
Among the fullest in the market: family SIM management, device unlocking, broadband controls, spend caps, eSIM issue, allowances and bills. Real offers appear inside the account — the five-second check that defeats every "upgrades team" call.
Common faults & solutions
| Mast work & crowds | The universal physics — status checker before settings |
| Older phones failing calls | 3G closed in 2024 — 4G Calling on |
| A dead room in a strong area | Champions have thick walls too — Wi-Fi Calling |
| Billing confusion | BT→EE account migrations occasionally muddy bundled bills — complain in writing, keep references |
| Rural gaps | Broadest coverage ≠ every postcode — your address, never the headline |
Wi-Fi Calling on
4G Calling on
Airplane reset
Updates
Window test
Status page— then written complaint if a fault persists.
Strengths & weaknesses
Strengths
- Broadest UK coverage; perennial test winner
- National lead on standalone 5G+
- Strong mobile+broadband household bundles
- One of the best network apps
- 1pMobile trials the masts for pennies
Weaknesses
- Premium prices across the shelf
- Daily EU fees on most newer plans
- Upgrade schemes are subscriptions in disguise
- One-account homes feel exits keenly
- 5G+ needs recent handsets
How to join / leave
Check coverage— even the champion has dead postcodes; weight indoor readings; audition via EE PAYG or 1pMobile.
Join— SIM or eSIM online; port with a PAC from the old network.
Leave— PAC to 65075; balances itemised; free, 30 days; bundle gravity has no legal force.
Stalled complaint— eight weeks or deadlock opens the free binding ombudsman.
Pro tips
- Buying for coverage? Verify YOUR postcode — the national headline is not your address.
- Want 5G+? Check both your handset's support and your area's rollout first.
- Multi-SIM family with EE broadband: price the bundle — it's where EE's value actually lives.
- Skip yearly-upgrade schemes unless you'd genuinely buy a flagship every year.
- Read the pounds-and-pence rise line before signing — then screenshot it.