ISP EE UK Set to Expand Availability of 2.3Gbps and 8Gbps Broadband Pilot

Credible sources have informed ISPreview that mobile and internet provider EE (BT) is set to expand the availability of their FTTP-based “Advanced Full Fibre” 2.3Gbps (2,500Mbps) and 8Gbps (8,500Mbps) home broadband pilot on 31st July 2026, which will make it more accessible to the ISP’s existing customer base.

In case anybody has forgotten. EE began inviting existing customers to help trial Openreach’s new XGS-PON powered Fibre-to-the-Premises technology earlier this year (here and here), which is capable of delivering internet download speeds of up to 8.5Gbps (850Mbps upload for consumer tiers – symmetric will be possible for premium business users). The first customers then went live at the end of March 2026 (here).

The pilot has been primarily taking place across Guildford and neighbouring Woking – available across around 40,000 premises, although this also catches some nearby locations like Brookwood, Puttenham, Clandon, Shere and Worplesdon. Since then the pilot has closed to new applications (EE Trial Invite Page), but it’s about to go through another change.

The initial trial (or pilot, if you prefer) was run more on an application basis only, where you had to sign a special form to apply and selection was down to EE’s discretion. But according to our sources, from 31st July, EE intends to open this up through more traditional means, such as by giving customers the ability to purchase it online like any other customer would, including via retail stores or over the phone.

In short, the two trial products – 2.3Gbps (250Mbps upload) and 8Gbps (850Mbps upload) – will effectively become accessible to everyone connected to the pilot exchange, much like a normal broadband package. The move both appears to demonstrate that the initial trial has been deemed a success and shows that they’re getting closer to a full national launch.

However, before the national launch, it’s important to test the network and order process against a larger base of users. We’re similarly expecting EE to launch a dedicated web page for this on 31st, which is tentatively expected to be found here: https://ee.co.uk/broadband/advanced-full-fibre (not yet live).

Any EE customer taking part will of course require another engineer visit to install one of the operator’s latest 10Gbps capable Optical Network Terminals (ONT). Customers on the 2.3Gbps tier will also receive EE’s existing Smart Hub 7 Pro router, although those opting for the top 8Gbps package will continue to receive a temporary router – currently from TP Link. The final Smart Hub product for 8Gbps customers is currently, we’re told, still a few months away from being ready for launch – EE won’t want to do a proper commercial launch until that’s ready.

Take note that Openreach’s network trial has also been available to other ISPs since 23rd March 2026 (details), but EE is still the only ISP known to be involved. Part of that may stem from the difficulty that ISPs will have in adapting for the capacity demands of such products, which isn’t helped by the fact that Openreach aren’t currently expected to trial their new 100Gbps Cablelink solution until 2027 (here).

No doubt BT Wholesale will also continue to drag their feet, just as they have done with the existing 1.8Gbps tier (still not available), which will impact ISPs that use that platform. EE does work with BTW too, but they have a unique approach that avoids BTW’s limitations. At present, we won’t know how long it will be before Openreach can launch their faster FTTP tiers commercially, although that didn’t stop EE going early with beta products before (e.g. 1.6Gbps).