EE and BT to converge 4G and fibre networks

BT and EE are set to offer joint fibre services, combining broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi to offer customers all three services across the UK.

BT Plus will be the first service the companies launch as part of their converged strategy, offering access to the fastest broadband speeds at once, all billed on a household plan.

If the home broadband service ever goes down, BT said it will offer unlimited mobile data so customers can use that without any extra charges until their internet service is fixed. BT will also send the customer a 4G Wi-Fi Mini Hub with unlimited data until their connection is restored.

"BT runs the UK's most advanced mobile and broadband networks, but our customers demand better connections, and the best service no matter where they are," Marc Allera, CEO of BT's consumer business, said.

"We're investing across BT, EE and Plusnet so that we can provide our customers with the widest choice of products and services, on the best networks, and with the best service in the UK."

Only last week BT announced it would cut 13,000 jobs from its operations to save 1.5 billion over the next three years. This step is the first solid announcement the company has made about how it hopes to bring its products and services up to date.

"We made some tough choices last week as a group but we are investing the savings in networks and customer service, which is what customers want," said Allera.

"Convergence is really just a complicated term that means bringing things together - networks, ideas, teams and content. Convergence for us is about bringing the best of everything we do to one place. We've already brought our teams together so now we're bringing our networks together."

BT bought EE for 12.5 billion in 2016, and the pair have also showcased their EE Hybrid Broadband technology, which combines BT's superfast broadband with EE's 4G network to offer fast broadband speeds, even in rural areas, according to the firms.