Broadband ISP and mobile operator EE (BT) today launched a second Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) package with a speed of 1.6Gbps on Openreach’s network, calling it ‘Broadband made for gamers‘bundle and claims to offer online gamers’lower latency, geofencing of game servers and prioritization of internal networks,” among other things.
In case anyone forgot, EE already launched a 1.6Gbps (120Mbps upload) package last year for £69.99 per month (here), which came alongside their new Wi-Fi 6 compatible package Smart Hub Plus router and other kit. This was based on Openreach’s latest 1.8Gbps tier (requires installing a new 2.5Gbps port ONT in your home) and was also promoted for use by gamers.
REMARK: Openreach’s full fibre network currently covers almost 14.5 million premises across the UK and aims to reach 25 million (80%+) by December 2026, before aiming for 30 million by 2030.
The fact is that an FTTP connection, at any speed, must provide excellent latency times for gaming and so the most important question we need to ask today is: what does that extra £10 a month get you with this new bundle (the new bundle €79.99 per month)? Followed by: is it worth the extra money?
According to EE, the Smart Hub Plus router that comes with this package includes ‘Game mode‘, which is something that was part of them before WiFi booster boost. This feature is powered by Netduma and adds geofiltering and ping optimization. Additionally, the bundle also includes 24 months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (worth nearly £200 in total), giving players access to hundreds of games, which is good if you like the Microsoft platform.
What is game mode?
➤ Geofilter – chooses the highest quality servers and blocks all servers with longer latency for the best gameplay.
➤ Ping Optimiser – allowing customers to enjoy a refined connection with less buffering while gaming, reducing server ping by up to 24% according to tests conducted by developers Netduma.
Whether you really need Game Mode is questionable though, as a good standard FTTP line should already provide excellent latency and stability unless your ISP is particularly bad with their routing/peering/capacity arrangements. Not to mention that people themselves are usually pretty good at ‘Geo Filtering’ a server list.
Sam Kemp, Director of Gaming at EE, said:
“By introducing Broadband Made for Gamers, we believe we are taking a huge step in our ambition to become the UK’s number one gaming destination, creating a broadband package that is truly tailor-made for gamers to improve gaming experiences. Features like Game Mode and 1.6Gbps Full Fiber give gamers an extra edge when playing, and customers will never be short of the latest and most exciting titles with our inclusive 24-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.”
EE adds that testing was conducted on its Full Fibre network using Cisco’s ThousandEyes (formerly SamKnows) performance monitoring technology “reveals it offers a latency reduction of more than a third compared to standard broadband“, although they do not provide specific details or define what “standard broadband” resources. A more interesting test would be to see how the new package compares to their entry-level 100Mbps+ FTTP plans for latency.
Admittedly, we’re always a little skeptical when an ISP claims to offer a multiplayer-optimized service for online video games, because there’s a limit to how much you can customize FTTP connections to get improvements in latency. Additionally, the netcode that multiplayer games use must also be optimized for slower connections, meaning that after a certain point there is an element of diminishing returns for those with the lowest latencies.
Not to mention that your latency (ping times) will also depend on aspects of your own local network configuration, such as whether your device connects via WiFi (which standard?) or wired etc. Overall, this seems to be the biggest cost difference between This bundle includes the addition of Xbox Game Pass.