EE still boasts the most expansive UK network and the fastest mobile data speeds. And that applies as much to mobile broadband as it does to the data you send and receive from your phone or tablet. Whether you're getting 4G or 5G from EE on mobile, to a MiFi device or 4G/5G home router, your speeds are likely to be faster than competitors.
EE offers the full gamut of mobile broadband options, including home routers, data-only SIMs and a wider range of portable MiFi devices, with one particular device, the Netgear Nighthawk M2, providing a router in your (large) pocket that competes with the capabilities of a home router. Let's get into the details.
Mobile broadband is broadly defined as any means of broadband connectivity you can take with you when you leave your home or office. This includes portable MiFi routers, regular mobile SIMs, and data-only SIMs for tablets and such. Expanding that definition is mobile home broadband, which offers a router for your home which is supplied via a 4G or 5G mobile network. Here's a slightly more detailed look at the various types. This should help you better understand which is the best option for you.
Although we're now entering a time where unlimited mobile data is soon to be the norm rather than the exception, there are perhaps fewer reasons to own a dedicated mobile broadband solution than ever. That's because in our daily movements, most of us are within range of usable wifi most of the time. Still, there are some circumstances where a dedicated mobile broadband solution is applicable, and only you will know whether you're in those circumstances. Here are some situations where it may be needed.
You may be aware that there are many, many mobile providers in the UK. However, only four of those actually own their own networks. These are knowns as MNOs (mobile network operators), and they are O2, EE, Vodafone and Three. These four MNOs are also the providers who are most likely to offer an expansive range of mobile broadband options.
The rest of the providers in the UK are known as MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators), and these providers lease capacity (known as piggybacking) on one of the four MNO networks.
According to speedtest operators Ookla, EE offers the highest average 4G and 5G download speeds of the four UK MNOs. 4G speeds averaged 42.91Mbps on EE in November 2019, with 5G speeds averaging 205.02Mbps. On 4G, this compares to 33.32Mbps, 24.11Mbps and 22.95Mbps for Vodafone, Three and O2 respectively, and 159.48Mbps and 140.15Mbps for O2 and Vodafone respectively on 5G. Three is the latest to the party when it comes to 5G provision and so wasn't measured at the time of this study.
Mobile broadband from EE offers a number of different ways to get it. There is EE home broadband, which works like a typical home router with data delivered via its mobile network. There are also portable MiFi devices which will act as mobile hotspots and are battery operated. And of course you can get data-only and regular SIMs, which can deliver mobile broadband to a tablet or to other devices via tethering.
Just like your mobile contract, whichever type of EE mobile broadband you choose, you will have to take out a contract or either 12 months or on a 30-day rolling basis. Whichever device you use, you will typically have to pay for this up-front, though they are not expensive. The amount of data you will have access to monthly will depend both on how much you need and how much you are prepared to pay. Unlimited packages are available.
Yes. Whichever type of mobile broadband you choose from EE, there will be at least one unlimited data option, though they are still rather expensive at this time.
According to Ookla's most recent study, EE 4G mobile broadband clocks in with an average download speed of 42.91Mbps and an average upload speed of 12.69Mbps. In terms of download speeds, this is the fastest average 4G speed of any UK provider.
According to Ookla's most recent study, EE 5G mobile broadband download speeds clock in at 205.02Mbps, with upload speeds averaging 19.17Mbps. In terms of 5G download speeds, EE's are currently the fastest in the UK.