EE Business mobile broadband

What EE Business mobile broadband covers

EE Business groups its wireless internet services under fixed wireless access and mobile broadband. Between them they cover three common needs:

• Portable mobile broadband. Battery-powered mobile Wi-Fi devices that create a hotspot for laptops, tablets and phones wherever there is EE Business signal.
• Data SIMs in devices. SIMs (or eSIMs) for tablets and laptops with built-in mobile connectivity, so each device connects on its own.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA). A router that sits in a workspace or on a site and provides Wi-Fi for the whole building over the mobile network.

EE Business offers 4G, 5G and 5G+ routers and devices, and lists routers that connect with 5G, 5G+ and Wi-Fi 7. Speeds depend on which network layer is available where the device sits, so check coverage at the address before relying on 5G performance.

For the general picture across networks, see our guide to mobile broadband for business.

Portable mobile broadband for working on the move

A portable mobile broadband device is the simplest way to get a small team online away from the office. You charge it, switch it on and connect laptops and tablets to its Wi-Fi.

It suits:

• Staff who work from customers' premises, trains, hotels or vehicles
• Pop-up events, exhibitions and temporary sales points
• A backup connection when the office line is down
• Contractors who need internet on day one of a project

The alternative is a phone hotspot. That works for occasional use, but it drains the phone battery and ties the laptop to whoever has the phone. A dedicated device or a data SIM in the laptop is easier to manage across a team. Our guide to the business data SIM explains when each approach makes sense.

Data SIMs for tablets and laptops

Many business tablets and some laptops have mobile connectivity built in. Giving each one its own EE Business data SIM means it connects wherever there is signal, with no hotspot to find and no reliance on a colleague's phone.

EE Business supports eSIM on compatible devices, which suits laptops and tablets that are sent out to staff: the line can be activated remotely instead of posting and fitting a physical SIM. See business eSIM for how business eSIMs are provisioned.

A few points to plan for:

• Manage the devices, not just the SIMs. Enrol tablets in your MDM so apps, updates and security settings are controlled centrally and a lost device can be wiped. EE Business can enrol devices you buy into Apple Business Manager, Android zero-touch enrolment or Samsung Knox Mobile Enrollment; see zero-touch enrolment.
• Watch background data. Operating system updates and cloud sync can use a lot of data over a mobile connection. Set updates to Wi-Fi where you can, and use spend caps.
• Use the right SIM for machines. For card machines, sensors, trackers and CCTV, EE Business offers IoT SIM cards designed for connected devices rather than people.

If you only need data SIMs and not devices, our sister site covers business SIM only plans.

Fixed wireless access for premises

Fixed wireless access gives a building an internet connection over the mobile network instead of a fixed line. EE Business describes its FWA routers as easy to set up: plug in the router and you can get connected straight away, with no waiting for a line to be installed and no engineer needed.

FWA is worth considering when:

• Fibre is not available yet, or the installation date is weeks or months away
• The site is temporary, such as a construction site, a site office or a seasonal shop
• You need a second connection for resilience, so the business keeps working if the main line fails
• You are moving and want internet in the new premises from the day you arrive

EE Business says the latest wireless routers can rival fixed-line broadband, but real-world performance depends on signal strength at the router, how busy the local cell is and how many people share the connection. For a permanent office that needs consistent, symmetrical bandwidth, we can pair it with a fixed line; see Forever Group's leased line and business connectivity pages.

Our guides to 5G business broadband and choosing a 5G business router cover placement, antennas and failover in more detail.

Spend control and security

Mobile broadband is easy to over-use, especially when a device is shared or left connected to a laptop that is downloading updates. EE Business lets you set spend caps on charges beyond the plan, with alerts as a line approaches its limit, and you can adjust or remove a cap at any time. Larger customers can use the Bill Protector feature and usage tracking across all their lines.

On security, treat a mobile broadband connection like any other internet connection:

• Change the device's default Wi-Fi name and password, and the router's admin password
• Use a separate guest network for visitors where the router supports it
• Keep the router's firmware up to date
• Use your normal endpoint protection and VPN on the laptops that connect to it

For organisations that want mobile devices to connect securely to company systems, EE Business also offers a Data VPN service. For connected devices rather than people (card machines, sensors, CCTV), EE Business offers IoT SIM cards built for that job.

Getting the set-up right

A few practical points make a big difference to how well a wireless connection works:

1. Check coverage at the exact address with EE Business's coverage checker, and look for 5G or 5G+ if you need higher speeds
2. Test on site before committing where you can, at different times of day
3. Place a fixed router near a window, as high as practical and away from thick walls and metal
4. Decide whether the router needs to fail over automatically from a fixed line, and choose hardware that supports it
5. Set spend caps and usage alerts before the line goes live
6. Agree who in the business owns the device and the account

We can help with each of these steps.

How we help

We supply EE Business mobile broadband and fixed wireless access, help you choose between a portable device, data SIMs and a fixed router, and help you check coverage at the sites that matter. Pricing depends on the device, the data you need and the term, so we confirm it at quote.

Our sister site also covers business SIM only plans. For the wider EE Business picture, read our EE Business mobile phones and plans guide.

Contact us to talk about EE Business mobile broadband.