EE Guide
Independent guide to EE — the UK's consistently highest-rated mobile network. 920/1000 umlaut 2026. 5G+ covering 50 million people. 730+ Mbps peak speeds. Apple One bundle. Not affiliated with EE or BT Group.
EE (Everything Everywhere) was formed in March 2010 as a 50/50 joint venture between Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile UK) and France Télécom (Orange UK) — merging the two operators that had competed since 1993 when One2One (later T-Mobile) and Orange launched as the UK's third and fourth mobile networks. The combined entity had the spectrum and infrastructure of two former competitors, giving it a decisive technical advantage that it immediately began to exploit.
In September 2012 the company rebranded to "EE" and simultaneously announced it would launch the UK's first 4G LTE network on 30 October 2012 — 18 months before competitors. This 4G head start established EE's quality leadership, which has never been reversed. EE launched the UK's first 5G network on 30 May 2019 in six cities. BT Group completed its £12.5 billion acquisition of EE in January 2016, creating the UK's only operator to own both a nationwide mobile network and a major fixed-line infrastructure. EE is now BT's consumer mobile brand serving tens of millions of UK customers.
EE structures its mobile plans into three broad tiers that progressively add speed, features, and roaming. Understanding the differences helps you pick the right level without paying for things you don't need.
EE's entry-level tier. Download speeds are capped at a maximum of 100 Mbps — fast enough for most everyday mobile tasks including HD video streaming, but not utilising EE's full 5G capability. Stay Connected Data kicks in at a slower 0.5 Mbps once your monthly allowance is used, preventing complete data cut-off. EU roaming is charged at £2.29/day in 47 European destinations on Essentials plans. Data allowances range from 5GB to unlimited. Customers receive a six-month taster of Apple services at launch — typically one of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, or Apple News+ — with a choice of one to keep free for longer on qualifying plans.
EE's mid-tier, where speeds become fully uncapped — customers get EE's full 5G performance without any artificial limit. Network Boost is included: in congested areas, All Rounder customers are prioritised ahead of lower-tier customers. EU roaming is included free in all 47 European destinations with a monthly fair-use data cap. One Inclusive Extra is included from EE's menu — choices typically include Netflix Standard with ads, Google One 2TB Premium (on Android devices), Apple Music (on iPhone), or Apple TV+. Data gifting (sharing your allowance with up to five other EE mobile numbers) is included. An unlimited smartwatch data SIM is available as an add-on.
EE's premium tier. Fully uncapped speeds, 5G Standalone access, Network Boost. A Roam Further Pass is included, adding free roaming in Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and the USA on top of the 47 European destinations — giving Full Works customers free roaming in over 50 countries with a 50GB monthly fair-use cap. A wider Inclusive Extras choice is available: Netflix Premium (4K), Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Google One AI Pro, TNT Sports on Discovery+, or Apple services bundles.
Full Works for iPhone is the standout product in EE's 2026 line-up. It includes Apple One — the bundle that combines Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ 50GB — making EE the first mobile network in the world to include Apple One in a mobile contract. Customers also get worldwide roaming in 52 destinations, and a broader Inclusive Extras choice including TNT Sports. This is designed specifically for iPhone users who want the full Apple ecosystem without paying for each service separately.
EE has won the umlaut connect UK Mobile Network Test for 11 consecutive years. In the 2026 test — based on 10,170 km of drive tests, walk tests in 10 UK cities, and 5.7 billion crowdsourced data samples — EE scored 920/1000, breaking the test's all-time UK record and leading the field by 112 points (Vodafone second: 808; Three third: 799; VMO2 fourth: 768). umlaut's head of test stated that EE "achieved the highest scores in all test disciplines." Umlaut's Maziar Kianzad specifically cited EE's performance in voice quality, data speed under load, and reliability under challenging conditions.
Opensignal's January 2026 UK Mobile Network Experience Report found EE's 5G available to customers 77.4% of the time — the highest 5G availability of any UK network, 20 percentage points ahead of second-placed O2 (57%). EE's median 5G download speed was 241.2 Mbps; the fastest 10% of sessions recorded 643.9 Mbps. RootMetrics' H1 2025 UK RootScore Report measured EE's 95th-percentile (near-peak) 5G download at 730.1 Mbps — the fastest measured peak 5G speed of any UK operator.
EE's 5G Standalone network — marketed as 5G+ — uses an entirely 5G-native core network rather than relying on 4G core infrastructure as the first generation of UK 5G did. This unlocks capabilities unavailable with standard 5G: latency below 10 milliseconds (vs. 30–50ms for 4G), network slicing (dedicated bandwidth channels for specific applications), Voice over 5G calling, and more efficient battery consumption on compatible devices. As of April 2026, EE's 5G+ network covers more than 50 million people across 610+ UK towns and cities — ahead of its original Spring 2026 milestone target of 41 million. EE's stated goal is 99% of the UK population covered by 5G+ by Spring 2030.
EE Pay Monthly customers access approximately 150,000 BT WiFi hotspots across the UK — including every London Underground station — via the WiFi Coverage Boost feature. The feature automatically connects customers to these hotspots when in range, routing both data and voice calls over WiFi rather than the mobile network when signal is poor. This is particularly valuable in underground environments, shopping centres, office buildings, and rural venues with patchy outdoor signal. WiFi Coverage Boost is available at no extra charge to all EE Pay Monthly plan customers and requires no manual setup after initial enabling in the device settings.
EE's Full Works for iPhone plan is the first mobile plan anywhere in the world to bundle Apple One — Apple's all-in-one subscription that combines Apple Music (70 million songs), Apple TV+ (award-winning original content), Apple Arcade (200+ games), and iCloud+ 50GB storage. EE announced this in August 2022, describing it as a global first. For iPhone-centric customers, the bundled value is significant: separately, Apple Music costs £11.99/month, Apple TV+ £8.99/month, Apple Arcade £6.99/month, and iCloud+ 50GB £0.99/month — a combined retail value of £28.96/month included within the Full Works for iPhone plan at no additional monthly charge.
Under Ofcom's pounds-and-pence pricing rules (in force from 17 January 2025), EE's SIM-only mobile plans rise by £2.50/month each 31 March. Handset plans rise by £1.50/month. Data-only and smartwatch plans rise by 75p/month. Customers on legacy contracts taken before 10 April 2024 (EE's transition date to the new system) remain on the old CPI+3.9% formula, which produced a 7.3% rise in April 2026 (CPI December 2025 at 3.4% + 3.9%). BT Group is migrating all out-of-contract legacy customers to the new pounds-and-pence structure from 1 March 2026. Customers who receive price rise notifications have a 30-day penalty-free exit window.