Complaints about the UK’s biggest broadband providers have fallen to their lowest level on record, according to fresh figures from Ofcom. It’s a rare bit of good news for an industry that spends a lot of its time being in hot water.
The regulator published its latest quarterly complaints data on Thursday, covering January to March 2026. Across that period, Ofcom received just six complaints per 100,000 broadband customers. To put that in perspective, back in 2011 the figure stood at 40 per 100,000 – so the volume of gripes reaching the regulator has dropped by around 85% in a decade and a half.
It’s not only broadband that’s improved. Complaints about pay-monthly mobile also fell, while landline and pay-TV grumbles held steady. That matters because the last set of figures went the other way: complaints jumped in the final quarter of 2025, largely driven by mobile customers reacting to mid-contract price rises announced by providers including O2.
Who’s Top Of The Table?
TalkTalk finished as the most complained-about broadband provider, at 10 complaints per 100,000 customers, comfortably above the industry norm and roughly stable on the previous quarter.
The bulk of TalkTalk’s complaints (39%) related to faults, service and provisioning, followed by complaints handling at 26% and billing, pricing and charging at 17%. In other words, it’s a mix of things going wrong and the experience of trying to get them fixed.
At the other end, Plusnet came out best with just four complaints per 100,000, with Sky close behind on five. The two effectively share the “least complained-about” title for the quarter.
Mobile And Pay-TV
On the mobile side, Sky Mobile picked up the most pay-monthly complaints, with switching difficulties a recurring theme – customers appear to be struggling most when they try to leave. EE, Giffgaff and Vodafone tied at the opposite end with a single complaint per 100,000 apiece, which is about as clean a sheet as you’ll see.
Pay TV stayed broadly flat at an average of three complaints per 100,000. TalkTalk and Sky led the pack here with two each, followed by Virgin Media O2 on three, with EE bringing up the rear on four. Most of the Virgin Media O2 complaints centred on pricing and billing, while EE’s tended to concern how it handled complaints in the first place.
Better Networks Mean Fewer Faults
UK providers have poured more than £40 billion into gigabit-capable infrastructure in recent years, and over 90% of premises can now access gigabit connectivity – a figure that would have looked far-fetched a decade ago. Better networks tend to mean fewer faults, and fewer faults mean fewer complaints.
Customer satisfaction has been creeping up too. Ofcom’s most recent satisfaction research put broadband at 84%, up from 82% two years earlier, with mobile at 88%. Landline was the outlier, slipping to 73%.
That’s not to say the regulator has gone soft. It recently handed Virgin Media a record £28 million fine for making it unduly difficult for customers to cancel, a reminder that low complaint volumes and good customer treatment aren’t always the same thing. Virgin Media O2 has since set up a dedicated consumer division led by former Sky executive Lyssa McGowan.
What The Numbers Mean Going Forward
Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s Director of Consumers and Retail Markets, welcomed the drop but warned that “companies must not be complacent”, adding that the regulator expects providers to keep improving.
Her other message was aimed squarely at customers: if you’re not happy, switch. Ofcom has spent recent years making that easier, introducing end-of-contract alerts, simpler contract summaries and smoother switching for both broadband and mobile.
The savings can be meaningful. According to Uswitch, moving to a new broadband deal saves the average household around £329 a year, while switching to a SIM-only plan once your contract ends – and keeping your existing handset – can save roughly £304 a year.
