EE review: Still the UK’s fastest mobile network

EE has long been the UK’s fastest mobile network; in July, UK-wide testing from RootMetrics put it in the top spot for the ninth consecutive year. Its 4G speeds put it ahead of any other network, and while there’s some strong competition from Three and Vodafone on 5G, EE isn’t giving up the crown easily.

This year it won our inaugural Expert Reviews Mobile Network Award for Best 5G, with more satisfied 5G customers than any other brand. According to our survey, 64% of EE’s 5G customers are satisfied with their connection in a field where most of the competition is stuck around the 50% mark.

Needless to say, cutting-edge performance comes with a premium price tag, and some of EE’s plans are up there with the most expensive in the business. Perhaps that explains why EE doesn’t fare quite so well when the question of value crops up. What’s more, only 69% of users would recommend the network to a friend, which doesn’t sound so great when some budget no-frills networks are at 90% or more, while Sky Mobile and Tesco Mobile hover at 80% to 85%. Beyond performance, are there other areas where EE is falling short?

Browse EE phone contracts

EE review: What do you get?

EE has some good deals from time to time, and prices are generally quite competitive. At the time of writing, an iPhone 14 with 25GB of monthly data will set you back £59/mth over 24 months plus £50 upfront for a total of £1,466. The closest equivalent deal on Three gives you 30GB for £59/mth plus £30, or £1,446. Up the data to 125GB in EE and 100GB on Three, and you’re looking at £63/mth plus £30 a month on EE or £61/mth plus £30 on Three. It’s hard to complain about the extra £2/mth when you’re getting 25% more data.

Sometimes things don’t work out so well for EE. If you’d prefer an Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy S22 with 125GB of data costs £59/mth with £30 upfront. On Three, it will set you back £47 a month plus £30. What’s more, you can go cheaper; with iD Mobile you can have an iPhone 14 with 100GB of data for £43/mth plus £49 upfront, which works out at just £1,081, or the Galaxy S22 with 100GB for £33/mth plus £29 upfront.

Don’t expect too many bargains on EE’s SIM-only deals. Even the cheapest 1GB plan comes in at £15, and that’s with a 24-month contract. A more generous 25GB will take you to £21/mth, while Unlimited plans start at £28/mth. The likes of Tesco Mobile and Three will give you the same amount of data for significantly less.

EE offers optional Smart Benefits on many of its pay monthly phone and SIM-only contracts, with the extra cost starting at £5. The bonus add-ons include Netflix, Apple Music, Apple TV+, BT Sport Ultimate and Xbox Games Pass Ultimate, along with EE’s Roam Abroad international roaming package. Getting these through EE can be less expensive than subscribing directly, which might be enough to push you in EE’s direction if you regularly use these services or spend a lot of time travelling.

EE’s pricing can mean that customers don’t always feel that they’re getting bang for their buck. Where over two-thirds of Giffgaff’s customers and over three-quarters of Voxi’s, Lebara’s and Smarty’s said they were very satisfied with their network on this front, only 23% of EE customers said the same. Yes, 54% said they were satisfied, but that still leaves nearly 20% not very satisfied or actively dissatisfied – hardly ideal.

EE review: Customer service

Judging by our awards survey data, EE is the best of the big four network operators when it comes to customer service. Here 83% of customers are satisfied with their level of service and support, and only 7% are somewhat dissatisfied. To put that in perspective, Vodafone’s scores are a whisker under 74% and 15% respectively. That doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. Sky Mobile manages to keep 88% of its customers satisfied, while Tesco Mobile sits on 84%. Still, EE is verging on awards territory here.

Ofcom’s latest figures also paint EE in a favourable light. Its score for overall customer satisfaction – 92% – is just above the average and it has fewer customers with a reason to complain than the other major networks. Only Tesco Mobile has fewer Ofcom complaints per 100,000 subscribers.

EE review: Coverage, reliability and speed

The main reasons to use EE are its excellent coverage and performance. 4G coverage extends to over 99% of the UK population, and its 5G services are now in reach for over 50%. It has also upgraded 5G services in 14 locations to use the 5G 2,100MHz spectrum to improve performance and add capacity in areas of high usage.

4G performance is the best in the business, and RootMetrics’ latest research lists EE’s UK-wide median download speed at 66.2Mbits/sec, over twice that of the second-placed Three at 29.9Mbits/sec. In metropolitan areas, EE won more of RootMetrics’ RootScore performance awards (111) than Three, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone combined. RootMetrics recorded median download speeds of over 70Mbits/sec in 15 out of 16 cities, with 100Mbits/sec in one of those. 5G median download speeds were over 100Mbits/sec in every one, and the UK-wide 5G median download speed was approximately 150Mbits/sec, second only to Three with 200Mbits/sec.

That excellent 5G performance explains EE’s lead for 5G in our Mobile Network Awards survey. On this front 64% of its 5G users are satisfied or very satisfied with their 5G services and only 11% are dissatisfied. That puts EE 7% ahead of its nearest rival, Sky Mobile, on satisfaction, with most of the other networks hovering around 50%.

Where users are dissatisfied, the biggest reason for most (58%) is the network’s 5G coverage, which should improve with time. That said, around a third of dissatisfied users (34%) say that they don’t notice any real speed improvement.

Surprisingly, EE’s scores for reliability aren’t quite as impressive. 86% of users think it’s mostly or always fast enough for web browsing, which is a fairly average result, and while the figure for audio streaming is higher than average, at 68%, only 58% of users say it’s always or mostly fast enough for video streaming, which is lower than Sky Mobile, Three and Voxi. This may reflect higher expectations of EE, but EE still has work to do here.

EE review: Roaming

Like a disappointing number of UK network operators, EE now charges for EU roaming. Using your UK data allowance within the EU now incurs a £2 daily EU roaming charge, unless you take the Roam Abroad benefit or splash out £10 on the matching monthly pass. This also covers you for the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, and the only catch is a 50GB data cap while you’re away.

Otherwise, you’re looking at typical charges of £1.25 to £1.88 per minute, 62p per text and £5.48 per 500MB in most regions, though some destinations will be more expensive. The data charges aren’t horrific – many networks charge per single MB – but you still need to watch your usage carefully.

Browse EE phone contracts

EE review: Other services and spending caps

EE also has a handy Wi-Fi calling feature, where you can make calls and send texts over a Wi-Fi connection in places where you might not usually get a signal. This doesn’t actually save you money in the way that using a Voice over IP (VoIP) app such as WhatsApp, FaceTime or Facebook Messenger would, as both calls and texts come from your monthly allowance. However, it can be useful if you live in a remote area or work in a basement office.

EE’s pay monthly customers can also use its Underground Wi-Fi – complete with Wi-Fi calling – on the London Underground. That’s a definite bonus if you live or work in the capital.

EE supports data caps, and you can configure them online or by sending a text message. However, the caps don’t include add-on purchases or payments to certain premium numbers or subscriptions, so you’ll still want to keep an eye on how anyone else on a family contract uses (or abuses) their phone.

EE review: Verdict

EE is still the best network out there if you want a fast data connection, though Three is giving it some stiff competition in areas where 5G is supported. When it comes to overall 4G and 5G coverage and performance, it’s hard to beat. It’s also strong on customer service and satisfaction. The downside is that it can be expensive, and it’s sometimes hard to justify the extra on the value for money front. If you need the speed, go for EE every time, but there may be better deals elsewhere.