[WillPS]

I suppose the key difference is that BT (EE?) tries to be a solvent company, a concept that some of the loss leading altnets don't seem to have grasped yet. 

It's not dramatically more expensive than their gigabit - and presumably they think those who must have the best will pay for it.

I'm not so sure. Ignoring alt nets, are the costs of providing a gigabit service really triple the cost of a ~100Mb service from a budget operator down the same Openreach line? 

Are the benefits of such a service really worth that to a large number of people?

I note that EE (and others) deliberately conflate added speed benefit and wifi performance, I wonder how much of these gigabit style services is sold on a mistaken premise.

[interestednovice]

They have updated the site now to explain how BT mobile customers can upgrade. I guess consumer BT mobile is dead. 😵

Indeed, this was already off-the-record official as customers looking to re-contract were directed to EE by phone staff. New customers also haven’t been able to join BT Mobile for a while. Since BT Mobile was run as a MVNO of EE, this makes quite a bit of sense anyway.

On the broadband side, the reverse is true with the majority-existing customer base (BT) now on the legacy brand and EE the focus for new customers/contracts there too. Although to smooth the transition, BT Consumer still allows new contracts too - but may send you an EE branded Smart Hub, presumably to get you ready for if/when you chose to move to EE.

[Former Member 237]

BT Mobile has never worked with the touch voicemail you have to call the number, I understand that is not the case on EE. In regards to the post about not all services be avalaible on some virtual networks.

[interestednovice]

BT Mobile has never worked with the touch voicemail you have to call the number, I understand that is not the case on EE. In regards to the post about not all services be avalaible on some virtual networks.

That’s right. BT Mobile also doesn’t support eSIM, or have full support for WiFi Calling.

For the iPhone, Apple publish a list of supported network features for major operators here:

support.apple.com 

Wireless network provider support and features for iPhone in Europe – Apple Supp…
Choose your country or region to find out about the wireless network providers a…
  Source: support.apple.com

[nwtv2003]

There’s been more dropped today about the change from BT TV to EE TV. Essentially nothing is being removed from the current set up, but new set top boxes will be available along with an Apple TV app, as well as being able to view the service with an Apple TV box.

www.stuff.tv 

BT TV is now EE TV: Here's everything you need to know | Stuff
BT TV is now EE TV, and EE also launches a platform to buy third-party services,…
  Source: www.stuff.tv

[i.h]

That’s right. BT Mobile also doesn’t support eSIM, or have full support for WiFi Calling.

For the iPhone, Apple publish a list of supported network features for major operators here:

support.apple.com 

Not aware of any differences for WiFi calling - both EE and BT (and many of the EE MVNOs) support wifi calling. What do you mean by “full”?

[interestednovice]

Not aware of any differences for WiFi calling - both EE and BT (and many of the EE MVNOs) support wifi calling. What do you mean by “full”?

Wifi calling via other iCloud-connected devices, without being on the same WiFi network as the iPhone. It’s listed in the features list I shared earlier, but for EE only (not BT).

---

There’s been more dropped today about the change from BT TV to EE TV. Essentially nothing is being removed from the current set up, but new set top boxes will be available along with an Apple TV app, as well as being able to view the service with an Apple TV box.

www.stuff.tv 

I’m slightly surprised by the way they’ve gone about EE TV. My assumption, based upon earlier leaks about a new EE TV product using Apple TV, was that they were looking to abandon Youview (and with it the need to develop their own software, and need to work with hardware partners on custom hardware) and simply go for an Apple TV with EE branded remote and EE TV app as the new product going forward. Meanwhile, I expected them to probably rebrand BT TV Box Pro to EE TV as well and run this in parallel for around 5 years as a legacy product. The aim being to attract new customers to the Apple TV proposition alongside enticing existing customers over to it. This would have the benefit of no longer requiring any development budget for Youview (which BT were known to want to move away from).

However, what they have actually done appears to be move forward with a deliberately dual-platform approach and keep Youview, even for new customers, alongside their Apple TV product. Quite why they are bothering with this, I have absolutely no idea.

[i.h]

Wifi calling via other iCloud-connected devices, without being on the same WiFi network as the iPhone. It’s listed in the features list I shared earlier, but for EE only (not BT).

---

I’m slightly surprised by the way they’ve gone about EE TV. My assumption, based upon earlier leaks about a new EE TV product using Apple TV, was that they were looking to abandon Youview (and with it the need to develop their own software, and need to work with hardware partners on custom hardware) and simply go for an Apple TV with EE branded remote and EE TV app as the new product going forward. Meanwhile, I expected them to probably rebrand BT TV Box Pro to EE TV as well and run this in parallel for around 5 years as a legacy product. The aim being to attract new customers to the Apple TV proposition alongside enticing existing customers over to it. This would have the benefit of no longer requiring any development budget for Youview (which BT were known to want to move away from).

However, what they have actually done appears to be move forward with a deliberately dual-platform approach and keep Youview, even for new customers, alongside their Apple TV product. Quite why they are bothering with this, I have absolutely no idea.

I’m not sure an iCloud feature is really “full” wifi calling, but I think it’s moot - my BT SIM is in an iPhone and “calls on other devices” is in the settings and is enabled. I notice that in iOS 17, the carrier profile has changed from BT to EE, so maybe there are a few bells and whistles for those who still use BT mobile? (no visual voicemail though - confusingly I see a button to call 1571 as well as the visual voicemails from my other iPhone on full fat EE)

As for TV - my uneducated guess is that Apple TV doesn’t support multicast streaming, and that’s a core part of the (former) BT TV solution. That or there’s a boatload of Pro boxes in a warehouse that could be put to use first. Apple TV probably costs them more per unit - I doubt Apple gives that much of a bulk discount..

[interestednovice]

I’m not sure an iCloud feature is really “full” wifi calling, but I think it’s moot - my BT SIM is in an iPhone and “calls on other devices” is in the settings and is enabled. I notice that in iOS 17, the carrier profile has changed from BT to EE, so maybe there are a few bells and whistles for those who still use BT mobile?

As for TV - my uneducated guess is that Apple TV doesn’t support multicast streaming, and that’s a core part of the (former) BT TV solution. That or there’s a boatload of Pro boxes in a warehouse that could be put to use first. Apple TV probably costs them more per unit - I doubt Apple gives that much of a bulk discount..

It was the only way I could think to describe it!
The feature implemented to it’s fullest extent and maximum supported capabilities.

EE are the only UK network offering the feature, and it allows you to use your phone number (via, say, an iPad) even if the phone itself is turned off with a dead battery - so it is a useful feature.

You are probably right about the TV, but it’s a confusing proposition and you would have thought that the big EE rebrand would be the ideal time to bring some focus to things with a clear future strategy.

The carrier profile thing on your phone is, at a guess, just a branding change to encourage usage of the EE name. I do also wonder if BT Mobile stragglers may, eventually, be switched over to the EE platform via a network-pushed SIM profile update - this could be setting the stage for that to happen?

[London Lite]

Is the current BT branded Home Essentials package for those on benefits also moving to EE or is it staying under the BT brand like those for customers who are only landline customers?