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Popular broadband brands EE and BT have slashed prices across their full-fibre packages. Both of these suppliers have cut the cost of 149Mbps download speeds under £30 — matching the Black Friday discount available at the end of last year.
If you're looking for a speedier connection, both BT and EE are offering 300Mbps connections for a few pounds more each month (£32.99) and 500Mbps downloads for £34.99. Of course, you'll need to be one of the 17 million UK homes now living in an area that's been upgraded to the latest full-fibre infrastructure from Openreach to take advantage of these next-generation speeds.
But while there's nothing to separate the monthly cost of these rival internet suppliers' latest deals, there are reasons that you might want to pick one of these providers over another.
Upgrade to a speedy new full-fibre package in BT's Winter Sale and you'll unlock 6 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no cost. Usually £14.99 a month, this Netflix-like plan offers access to blockbuster titles from Microsoft-owned studios, including Call of Duty, Minecraft, Forza Horizons, Flight Simulator, and more. If you opt for the most affordable Full Fibre 100 plan, BT will upgrade your average download speed to 500Mbps for one month at no extra cost
This Full Fibre 150 Essentials plan costs £1 less than EE's Full Fibre 50 Essentials, but boasts 3x faster download speeds. At twice the UK average household broadband speed, you can expect seamless streaming on Netflix and YouTube, as well as stutter-free video calls. EE has ditched the delivery cost and activation fee and will pay £300 to end your current contract if you want to switch ASAP
First up, if you're thinking about switching to some of the fastest possible speeds around in the UK today, look no further than EE.
Following a major relaunch at the end of 2023, EE launched a lightning-fast 1.6Gbps broadband speed coupled with the first Wi-Fi 7 enabled router from any nationwide internet firm.
This next-generation wireless standard offers more stable and reliable connections across dozens of devices, plus speed boosts for newer hardware that supports Wi-Fi 7 technology. The launch from EE has purportedly forced Vodafone to scramble and attempt to catch-up.
To unlock the more reliable, faster Wi-Fi 7 wireless network, you'll need to use the all-new Smart Hub Pro Wi-Fi router designed by the teams at EE and powered by internals from Qualcomm EE PRESS OFFICE If you sign up for the fastest full-fibre broadband packages from EE, it will include the all-new Smart Hub Pro free of charge. Prices start from £64.99 a month for the Busiest Home Bundle, which includes download speeds of 1.6Gbps and the latest Wi-Fi router.
If you opt for a slower broadband package, like the Full Fibre 300 and Full Fibre 500 bundles, you can pay an additional £10 to switch to the EE Smart Hub Pro and benefit from the perks of this newer wireless technology.
Likewise, if you're currently within the minimum contract term of an existing broadband package, EE will pay up to £300 in early termination fees to your current supplier so you can switch immediately. That's something you'll only be able to call upon with EE, so don't apply for any of the BT broadband deals if you're not outside of your existing contract, which is usually between 18- and 24-months, depending on the provider.
So, there's no doubt that anyone who wants the latest-and-greatest Wi-Fi technology should plump for EE.
Despite there being no difference in price, BT might have the slight advantage on EE when it comes to these full-fibre broadband offers. And that's because BT includes two extras that you won't find if you order from EE.
First up, choose the BT Full Fibre 100 package for £29.99 and you'll be upgraded to its Full Fibre 500 for one month free of charge — unlocking download speeds of 500Mbps. Usually £34.99 a month, this is a nice little extra and means you'll enjoy even an speedier connection for the first month of your new contract.
Honestly, if you're unsure exactly what sort of full-fibre speed you need, starting with the more affordable Full Fibre 100 plan (still comfortably faster than the average UK household broadband speed) and using the one-month free trial to judge whether the Full Fibre 500 could be a better fit isn't a bad place to start.
BT makes it simple to stick with these faster speeds after the month-long tester, but downgrading to a more affordable plan once you've agreed to a two-year contract can be a little stickier.
And that's the other free gift that you won't currently find in the EE Winter Sale. Sign-up for Full Fibre 300 or Full Fibre 500 with BT, and you'll benefit from an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate included at no extra cost for 6 months. At £14.99 a month, this is a free gift worth £89.94.
For those who don't know, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a Netflix-like subscription that offers access to a rotating catalogue of console and PC games from Microsoft's in-house studios, which now includes Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, as well as other popular developers, like EA.
Games can be downloaded to consoles or PCs and played locally without an internet connection.
In-game progress will be synched over the cloud, so you'll also be able to resume on another device, like a smartphone, iPad, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV Stick 4K Max, or handheld games console, like the Logitech G Cloud or Asus ROG Ally.
The subscription is packed with hundreds of popular games, from blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Flight Simultator, and Minecraft to smaller indie hits like Carrion, Among Us, and Celeste.
Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription includes hundreds of blockbuster titles. While many of these are exclusive to Xbox, others are available to buy as a standalone purchase on PS5 and Nintendo Switch, often costing as much as £69.99. Game Pass subscribers can be played on consoles, PC, Fire TV Stick, and other devices
MICROSOFT PRESS OFFICEMicrosoft releases new games from its in-house studios on Game Pass on launch day, so £69.99 titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are available to stream and download as part of your monthly subscription now. Xbox has even integrated features like voice chat into its cloud offering, so the experience in your web browser and across different devices should be very close to playing on a traditional game console.
Don’t want Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? You can still buy a Full Fibre package and not activate the membership.
EE is owned by BT, so it makes sense there's little to distinguish between the prices available from these rival broadband sales. Since both EE and BT rely on broadband cables from Openreach, if you're able to unlock the fatest full-fibre speeds with either one of these brands, you'll be able to switch and keep the same speeds with the other too.
