EE UK to Bring Mobile-Only Benefits with Cheaper Home Broadband for All

Internet and mobile operator EE will next week move to make their standard fixed-line Unlimited Home Broadband and Superfast Fibre Broadband (FTTC) services even more attractive by standardising their prices and removing the -£10 discount, which had previously only been available to existing mobile users. But that won’t be the only big change.

At present anybody who wants one of EE’s unlimited fixed line home broadband services, such as their cheapest 38Mbps capable ‘Fibre Broadband’ package, would have only been able to get the prices listed on EE’s website if they were an existing EE, Orange UK or T-Mobile subscriber (mobile tariffs). In other words, the default prices include a -£10 discount for related mobile subscribers, while everybody else would need to add +£10.

Until recently EE has appeared to regard their fixed line broadband packages as more of a customer retention tool for mobile users, but the service is beginning to show stronger growth (adding more than +19,000 customers in Q1-2014 – here) and thus the provider is becoming keen to broaden its appeal by making the discounted prices available to everybody (within EE’s network area) and not just mobile subscribers.

So, with effect from around the middle of next week (subject to change), EE has decided to make their lowest broadband prices available to everybody. But that’s not all because EE are also making a number of other big changes.

Planned Bonuses for EE’s Home Broadband Packages

* The cost of having a new phone line installed, if needed, will fall from £60 to just £30 + no additional Fibre connection fees if you take one of those packages.

* EE has promised to cover up to £100 worth of termination charges for customers who are still in contract with their current provider and wish to leave.

* Subscribers who don’t have an EE mobile tariff will still benefit from the EE Wednesdays (2 for 1 cinema tickets) and 241 Pizza Express (2 for 1 pizza, every Wednesday) promotions.

* Norton Family security included in all packages for free.

As usual there will be a few caveats to this, not least with how EE won’t be doing a clean -£10 discount for all non-mobile subscribers. Instead the standard package prices will actually increase, although technically this will only impact EE mobile customers because non-mobile users will still pay less than had the +£10 extra still been applied. In addition, the standard Line Rental price will also increase slightly from £15.40 a month to £15.75.

The New Package Prices

Unlimited Broadband (up to 17mbps) + UK Weekend Calls
PRICE: £2.50 a month for the first 12 months (£9.95 thereafter)

Unlimited Broadband (up to 17mbps) + UK Anytime and Mobile Calls
PRICE: £7.50 a month for the first 6 months (£14.95 thereafter)

Unlimited Fibre (up to 38mbps) + UK Weekend Calls
PRICE: £5 a month for the first 3 months + free connection (£19.95 thereafter)

Unlimited Fibre (up to 38mbps) + UK Anytime and Mobile Calls
PRICE: £10 a month for the first 3 months + free connection (£24.95 thereafter)

Unlimited Fibre (up to 76mbps) + UK Weekend Calls
PRICE: £15 a month for the first 3 months + free connection (£29.99 thereafter)

Unlimited Fibre (up to 76mbps) + UK Anytime + 1000 Mobile Minutes + International calls to 30 destinations
PRICE: £20 a month for the first 3 months+ free connection (£34.95 thereafter)

So, to put this in some perspective, previously EE’s mobile customers would have paid a standard price (excluding offers) of £16 per month for their entry-level fibre broadband package and non-EE mobile customers would have thus paid £26. But after next week’s change non-EE mobile customers will pay just £19.95 for the same service (a saving of £6.05 each month), which also places EE much closer to their biggest rivals (e.g. Sky Broadband, TalkTalk and BT). A welcome change.

Meanwhile EE’s mobile customers might want to consider signing up, if they were already thinking about doing so, before next week’s adjustment.