Just over three years after the first arrival of XGS-PON access technology capable of offering 10Gbps services, EE has introduced Advanced Full Fibre, which is built to offer speeds up to 8Gbps on XGS-PON technology.

The BT-owned company claims to be the UK’s fastest-growing broadband provider, and following a successful customer trial earlier in 2026, the Advanced Full Fibre service has been made available for customers in eligible postcodes in Guildford, Woking and surrounding areas.

With download speeds of 2.3Gbps and 8Gbps available from launch, the service is designed for increasingly connected households, supporting bandwidth-intensive activities such as 4K and 8K streaming, online gaming, remote working, video conferencing and smart home technology.

With the capacity to support up to 190 of the latest connected devices simultaneously without any drop in performance, EE said Advanced Full Fibre is built not only for the demands of modern households today, but also for the connected experiences of tomorrow.

EE said the upload and download capabilities of the new service are also appropriate for customers who regularly upload large files, create content, back up data to the cloud, or rely on “seamless” video collaboration.

“As homes become more connected and customers place greater demands on their broadband, we’re investing in the technologies that will power the next generation of digital experiences,” commented Luciano Oliveira, director of product, home and TV at EE.

“Advanced Full Fibre combines exceptional speed, reliability and capacity, giving customers the confidence to do more online today while being ready for whatever comes next. We’re delighted that households in Guildford, Woking and the surrounding areas are the first to benefit, and we look forward to bringing this capability to more homes across the UK.”

EE’s Advanced Full Fibre 2.3Gbps plan is available from £54.99 per month, and the 8Gbps plan is available from £74.99 per month.

As EE was announcing its new service, fellow BT-owned company Openreach was informing UK businesses that there are just six months left until the UK’s old phone network – known as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) – is retired on 31 January 2027.

Openreach regards the shift from copper to full-fibre networks as “every bit as significant as the move from analogue to digital and black and white TV to colour”. The programme was first mooted in 2019, with legacy network skills and parts increasingly difficult to come by, and with digital services – such as voice over IP, video conferencing and other apps – becoming more popular and effective.

By retiring analogue phone lines, Openreach said it would create a simplified network to meet the enhanced needs of an increasingly digital society. In practical terms, BT has been in the process of transitioning more than 14 million traditional lines across the UK onto digital services to realise its plan on a national basis.

As of the end of July, Openreach calculates that as many as around 1.5 million lines are still operating on the old copper-based phone network, including 350,000 UK businesses, and urged the nation’s communications providers to act now.

Openreach warned that businesses that delay the move risk significant disruption, operational challenges and unnecessary costs. And with the industry entering the final phase of migration, it added that waiting too long could also make it harder to secure the engineering support needed before the deadline.

It said many organisations still depend on PSTN-connected services such as payment terminals, lift alarms, security systems and other critical operational technologies. But once the legacy network is withdrawn, services may stop working unless they’ve been upgraded or replaced with digital alternatives.

Openreach said it would be issuing formal notifications to communications providers with outstanding migrations, reinforcing the urgency of the transition and encouraging providers to engage customers who have yet to make plans. It stressed that there would be no extension to the deadline and that it had a simple message: act now.

“The PSTN switch-off is now just six months away... While millions of customers and many providers and businesses have already made great progress, too many organisations remain exposed to unnecessary risk by delaying their migration plans,” said James Lilley, director of All-IP at Openreach.

“Inaction is no longer about uncertainty but preparedness, and those who wait risk leaving customers exposed to avoidable service disruption. The consequences go beyond technical issues – they can lead to lost revenue, operational difficulties and a poorer experience for customers… Businesses should speak to their service provider today, understand which services could be affected, and make sure they have a clear migration plan in place well before January 2027.”

Assessing the move, Tomas Novosad, consumer technology analyst and founder of research firm Full Fibre Checker, noted that what broadband consumers can actually make use needed further examination.

“EE pricing an 8Gbps tier at this stage is more about positioning than practical demand — the vast majority of UK households have no devices or use cases that would stress even a 1Gbps connection today. What matters more for most consumers is whether full fibre has actually reached their postcode, and on that front, significant coverage gaps remain. The real story in the run-up to the all-digital switchover isn't peak speed — it's whether the underlying FTTP infrastructure will be in place for the households that still rely on copper.”

• UK gigabit broadband coverage hits 89% of population

  

  By: Joe O’Halloran

• Openreach unveils symmetric ultrafast FTTP broadband offer

  

  By: Joe O’Halloran

• UK fibre forges forward, but further altnet consolidation likely

  

  By: Joe O’Halloran

• Openreach unveils ‘turbo-charged’ full-fibre gigabit broadband offer

  

  By: Joe O’Halloran