BT is to make EE its primary consumer brand moving forward, believing the move will make it easier to communicate its products to customers and simplify its internal processes.
The company has operated the two separate brands ever since the £12.5 billion acquisition of the mobile operator in 2016.
To date, EE has largely been synonymous with the firm’s 4G and 5G mobile networks, while BT has been the principal brand for fibre connectivity – although the former offers home broadband services and the latter also offers broadband tariffs.
BT EE branding
The company now thinks the time is right to differentiate the two brands. EE will now be the flagship for mobile and converged network services, as well as devices, while BT will remain in place for standalone broadband customers, television, and business customers.
“We have to be more focused and more efficient,” said BT consumer chief executive Marc Allera. “We are evolving from today’s approach in the consumer market where BT and EE both take centre stage, to one where a flagship brand will lead our approach to future innovation, convergence, and services beyond connectivity.
“Having both BT and EE in an already crowded consumer market means we must have two of everything, and that makes life harder for our customers and our people - two accounts, two apps, two product roadmaps, and multiple systems. You get the picture. We need to simplify things, for everyone.
“Our customers tell us that EE is synonymous with the best mobile connectivity and its popularity in the broadband market is growing steadily as we’ve driven awareness that EE’s fibre network is powered by BT.
“Nothing will change for our BT customers. We will continue to serve and support them through our unrivalled nationwide sales and service with local presence all over the UK, just as we do today.”
“I’m really excited to share that BT will become the flagship brand for our Enterprise and Global units – allowing it to shine through as a dedicated brand for business and public sector customers across the UK and globally,” added Rob Shuter, CEO of BT Enterprise.
“In the business segment, the BT brand stands head and shoulders above other brands – with BT comfortably outpacing its competitors for first choice purchase intent, trust and reliability. That’s an incredible position for us to build from.”
The EE brand itself was created in 2012 from the ‘Everything Everywhere’ joint-venture formed by the merger of T-Mobile and Orange in 2010. Both of those predecessor brands were phased out prior to the acquisition by BT.
