Mobile operator EE is to be the new flagship
UK telco BT wants to make its mobile operator unit EE its flagship brand for consumer customers, according to insiders close to ISP Review. From February to April 2023 a number of marketing campaigns will attempt to change the perception of the UK’s biggest broadband service provider, which was once part of the UK’s civil service and known as the GPO (General Post Office). The public must be persuaded that BT-EE is an agile shape shifter capable of fast moves. However, while most see it as the daddy of network infrastructure, it moves accordingly, lacking agility and often pulling up short due to backbone problems. The rebranding will start with the launch of its new Smart Hub 3 (SH3), with the router being presented as an EE product rather than a BT box.
In April 2022 BT announced a major shake-up of its branding, as landline and mobile networks converged. The number of would-be broadband subscribers who can’t get access to fibre could be fudged as BT and EE’s networks fused and the mantle of flagship brand was passed onto the newer mobile operator division. “So far we’ve only seen limited movement on this,” said ISP Review’s Mark Jackson. The disappearance of the Plusnet brand was successfully executed but creating new offerings has proved harder.
BT is the main brand associated with its broadband consumers, while EE is associated with mobile operations. However, insiders have told ISP Review that some of BT’s existing products are being placed on a “stop sell” and others, such as BT TV, re-branded to EE which will continue its responsibility with all mobile business. However, a ‘big launch’ is needed, with the push being flanked by other feature and product excursions in support. One of those will be the introduction of BT’s long-awaited and Wi-Fi 6 equipped Smart Hub 3 (SH3) router, which has been delayed by development and supplier issues. The long-awaited launch has now been supported by branding planners looking for an EE product bandwagon to jump on.
By comparison, a previous Smart Hub 2 launch in 2018 was much better supported alongside FTTP and G.fast based ultrafast broadband products which were not a radical departure from previous incarnations, says ISP Review. BT’s new top end router needs a more significant update. “As the UK’s largest broadband provider, we continually review new, innovative ways to deliver the best in-home connectivity,” said a BT spokesperson, “our customers will be amongst the first to hear when we launch something new.”