The latest assessment of UK broadband service quality has revealed distinct performance variations among providers. Ofcom, the regulatory body, has disclosed the most recent data on customer complaints, highlighting areas for improvement for Vodafone and TalkTalk. These two major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have slipped in the rankings, falling significantly below their competitors.
Vodafone registered the highest complaint rate at 11 complaints per 100,000 customers, showing a deteriorating trend compared to the previous assessment.
Ofcom stated, “Vodafone and TalkTalk were the most complained-about broadband providers. Vodafone observed a surge in complaints from the previous quarter, while TalkTalk’s complaint numbers remained unchanged.”
On a positive note, Virgin Media has shown considerable improvement, securing a favorable position despite previous poor rankings in similar tests.
Ofcom added, “The least complained-about broadband providers were Plusnet and Virgin Media,” acknowledging the strong performance of these ISPs along with Sky.
The rankings for broadband service providers are as follows:
– Virgin Media: 5 complaints per 100,000
– Plusnet: 5 complaints per 100,000
– Sky: 7 complaints per 100,000
– BT: 8 complaints per 100,000
– EE: 8 complaints per 100,000
– TalkTalk: 10 complaints per 100,000
– Vodafone: 11 complaints per 100,000
In addition to broadband, Ofcom monitors complaints related to other services such as Landline and Pay-TV. Utility Warehouse leads in landline services with just 1 complaint per 100,000 customers, while Sky, Virgin Media, and Vodafone also demonstrated strong performance in this category.
For TV services, TalkTalk claimed the top spot followed by Sky.
Regarding the increase in complaints, attributed mainly to recent price hikes affecting numerous households across the UK, Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s Director of Consumers and Retail Markets, expressed disappointment. She highlighted the impact of unexpected mid-contract price rises on mobile customers in the Autumn of 2025 as a key driver of the complaints. Ofcom will continue to closely monitor the market and customer satisfaction levels through future complaint figures.
Overall, the industry faces challenges with a rise in complaints, signaling a need for continued vigilance and improvement to address customer concerns effectively.