Customer complaints about the UK’s major broadband providers have fallen to their lowest level on record, highlighting a significant improvement in consumer experience across the country’s telecom market, according to Ofcom.
Ofcom’s quarterly complaints report for January to March 2026 shows that fixed broadband complaints dropped to an all-time low of just six complaints per 100,000 customers. In 2011, broadband complaints stood at 40 per 100,000 customers.
The figures indicate that broadband complaints have declined by 85 percent from their 2011 peak, as UK telecom operators continue to invest in networks, improve service quality and compete for customers through broadband pricing, performance and availability.
Overall complaints covering the UK’s major fixed broadband, landline, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV providers also decreased in Q1 2026 compared with Q4 2025, which covered October to December 2025.
Complaints about fixed broadband and pay-monthly mobile services declined, while complaints involving landline and pay-TV services remained unchanged from the previous quarter.
The improvement follows an increase in overall complaints during Q4 2025, which was mainly driven by mobile services after some operators, including O2, announced mid-contract price increases. Ofcom said overall telecom complaints have subsequently declined and returned to all-time-low levels.
TalkTalk Records Most Broadband Complaints
TalkTalk generated the highest level of complaints among the major fixed broadband providers during Q1 2026. Its complaint rate remained at broadly similar levels compared with Q4 2025.
TalkTalk customers primarily raised concerns relating to faults, service and provisioning, complaints handling, billing, pricing and charges.
At the other end of the broadband market, Plusnet and Sky recorded the fewest fixed broadband complaints received by Ofcom.
The widening gap in complaint performance provides another metric for UK broadband customers comparing providers alongside factors such as monthly prices, broadband speeds, network availability, reliability and customer service.
Plusnet and TalkTalk Lead Landline Complaints
In the UK landline market, Plusnet and TalkTalk were the most complained-about providers during Q1 2026.
Both companies experienced an increase in complaints per 100,000 subscribers compared with the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, EE, Sky, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Vodafone generated the lowest levels of landline complaints among the providers included in Ofcom’s comparison.
Sky Mobile Records Highest Mobile Complaint Level
For pay-monthly mobile services, Sky Mobile generated the most complaints during January to March 2026.
Ofcom said complaints from Sky Mobile customers were primarily driven by their experiences when changing provider.
In comparison, EE, Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, Three and Vodafone recorded the fewest pay-monthly mobile complaints.
The decline in overall mobile complaints during Q1 2026 is particularly notable because mobile services had been a major contributor to the increase recorded in Q4 2025 following announcements of mid-contract price rises.
EE and Virgin Media Receive Most Pay-TV Complaints
In the UK pay-TV market, EE and Virgin Media were the most complained-about providers during Q1 2026.
Complaints involving EE were mainly related to the way customer complaints were handled. For Virgin Media, dissatisfaction was primarily associated with billing, pricing and charges.
Sky and TalkTalk generated the fewest pay-TV complaints during the quarter.
Ofcom measures complaints relative to the size of each provider’s customer base, reporting the number received per 100,000 customers. This approach enables consumers to compare providers of different sizes more effectively.
Ofcom does not resolve individual customer complaints through this dataset. Instead, the regulator uses complaint information to understand the main causes of consumer dissatisfaction and identify potential systemic problems that may require further regulatory scrutiny.
Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s Director of Consumers and Retail Markets, said the decline in broadband complaints to their lowest level since records began was encouraging, but warned telecom companies against complacency and called on providers to continue improving customer service.
Ofcom has also introduced measures designed to make switching telecom providers easier, including end-of-contract alerts, simpler contract summaries and streamlined switching processes for broadband and mobile customers.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
