Most Reliable Broadband in the UK

Reliable broadband means a connection that performs consistently day to day, with minimal dropouts, slowdowns or unexpected interruptions.

The most reliable providers combine strong network performance with clear fault handling, faster repair times, and better customer support when problems occur.

Based on independent performance data, complaints research and customer service evidence, our current top three choices for reliable broadband are Virgin Media, Plusnet and Sky.

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At a glance: Most reliable broadband packages

Based on the latest independent reliability data and complaints research, our current picks for the most reliable broadband providers are Virgin Media, Plusnet and Sky.

Below are examples of popular broadband packages from each provider. You can also compare more options to find the best deal for your address.

Note: Prices, speeds and availability in this table update automatically. Individual package details may change, so always check the provider's site before ordering.

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Verdict: Most reliable broadband in the UK

Plusnet, Virgin Media and Sky stand out as our top choices for reliable broadband, each performing well in different aspects of reliability.

Virgin Media

Virgin Media performs strongly on fault resolution, helped by operating and maintaining its own network rather than relying on third-party engineers.

The provider also offers a wireless performance guarantee through its WiFi Max service, which aims to improve in-home coverage and provides bill credits if minimum speeds are not met, subject to eligibility and terms.

Virgin Media is signed up to Ofcom's broadband speeds code of practice, giving customers a guaranteed minimum download speed and the right to leave their contract without penalty if that speed is not delivered.

Prices update automatically but may change - always check the provider's site before ordering.

Plusnet

Plusnet consistently records low fault levels in data published by Ofcom, alongside one of the lowest rates of repeat contacts for the same issue, suggesting faults are resolved effectively the first time.

It also performs strongly on overall customer satisfaction among the major providers. Because dissatisfaction is closely linked to poor service or unresolved issues, this supports Plusnet's position as a reliable option for households that prioritise stability and support.

Prices update automatically but may change - always check the provider's site before ordering.

Sky

Sky stands out for reliability through consistently low complaint levels and solid fault handling, rather than headline network speeds.

Data published by Ofcom regularly places Sky among the broadband providers with the fewest complaints per customer, indicating fewer unresolved issues and smoother fault resolution when problems do occur.

Sky also performs well for customer satisfaction, particularly around service and support, which plays a significant role in how reliable a broadband connection feels day to day - especially during faults, installations or service changes.

For households that value stability, predictable performance and responsive support over peak speeds, Sky remains a strong option for reliable broadband.

Prices update automatically but may change - always check the provider's site before ordering.

Overall, broadband reliability depends as much on the underlying network as the provider itself, with full-fibre connections generally offering greater stability than part-fibre services.

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What makes broadband reliable?

It's easy to choose broadband based on headline speeds, price or customer service alone.

However, broadband reliability is shaped by a combination of network performance and how problems are handled when they occur - and this can vary by location and provider.

In practice, reliability is best understood as whether a connection works consistently day to day, and how quickly it recovers when something goes wrong. The main factors are:

• Consistent availability (uptime) - how often a connection remains usable without dropouts, slowdowns or interruptions during normal use.
• Disconnections - independent research from Ofcom tracks daily service losses lasting 30 seconds or longer, providing an objective view of full outages.
• Faults and recovery - how quickly a provider identifies, fixes and restores service when faults occur, which plays a major role in how reliable broadband feels in practice.
• Real-world performance - whether a connection delivers usable speeds and stability during everyday tasks, rather than just meeting advertised headline speeds.
• Responsiveness (latency) - delays caused by inefficient routing or congestion, which can affect real-time activities such as video calls and online gaming.
• Customer experience - how existing customers rate the reliability of their service, often reflecting repeated faults, slow repairs or inconsistent performance.
• Complaints - while not a direct measure of network reliability, complaints data can highlight persistent faults and poor resolution when issues arise.
• Resilience features - optional extras such as mobile back-up can help in specific situations, but do not replace underlying network reliability.

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How we assess broadband reliability

Broadband reliability is about more than headline speeds. A reliable connection is one that works consistently day to day and recovers quickly when problems occur.

To reflect this, we prioritise real-world experience metrics over theoretical performance or advertised claims. Our assessment draws on independent measurement data and regulator research, with different sources used to capture different aspects of reliability.

Our primary reliability measure is real-world performance, using data from Opensignal. Its Reliability Experience score reflects whether connections can start, stay connected and complete common online tasks without interruption, while Consistent Quality shows how often performance meets the level required for everyday use such as streaming, video calls and remote work.

We then consider how providers handle faults and service failures, using data published by Ofcom on repair times, repeat contacts and customer service quality. Even high-performing networks experience faults, so how quickly issues are resolved plays a major role in how reliable a service feels to customers.

Disconnection rates are used as supporting evidence, based on Ofcom's broadband performance research. These figures show how often services drop out entirely, but they do not capture degraded performance or short interruptions, so they are not used as a headline reliability measure.

Real-world speeds are considered in context, as very low speeds can undermine reliability. However, speed alone is not treated as a proxy for reliability, as a fast connection that frequently degrades or fails can still deliver a poor experience.

Finally, we look at complaints and customer satisfaction data to help explain where performance metrics and lived experience diverge. Complaints can highlight persistent issues or poor resolution, but they are influenced by expectations and support processes, so they are interpreted alongside technical measures rather than in isolation.

Taken together, this approach reflects how broadband reliability is experienced in practice: whether a connection works most of the time, and how effectively problems are handled when it doesn't.

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Reliability experience and consistency

Opensignal measures broadband reliability using a Reliability Experience score, which reflects how consistently a connection can start, stay connected and complete common online tasks without interruption.

The score is measured on a scale from 100 to 1000 points, with higher scores indicating a more reliable real-world experience.

Data source: Opensignal UK Fixed Broadband Experience report, published December 2025. Results are based on real-world measurements collected over a recent 90-day period.

Consistent Quality

Consistent Quality shows how often a broadband connection meets the performance thresholds required for everyday activities such as streaming, video calls and general browsing.

The score is expressed as the percentage of tests that meet these thresholds. Higher percentages indicate that performance is reliably good enough for common household use, rather than peaking occasionally.

Data source: Opensignal Fixed Broadband Experience report, published December 2025. Results are based on real-world measurements collected over a recent 90-day period.

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Fault handling & resolution

How often faults occur - and how quickly they are resolved - is a key indicator of broadband reliability.

While fewer faults are preferable, fast and effective resolution plays a major role in how reliable a service feels day to day.

Data on faults and fault resolution comes from Ofcom's Comparing Customer Service report, most recently published in May 2023.

Plusnet recorded the lowest fault rate in Ofcom's research, with 20 faults per 1,000 customers per month. Where service is lost, the average repair time was three days.

Virgin Media recorded one of the fastest average repair times, resolving total loss of service faults in around one day. It also had one of the lowest re-contact rates, suggesting issues are often resolved without the need for repeated follow-up.

Sky and NOW Broadband also recorded relatively low fault levels, with average repair times of two days, reflecting the time required to coordinate repairs on shared wholesale networks.

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Disconnection rates

Disconnection rates show how often broadband services drop out entirely, providing an objective indicator of network stability.

Data on daily disconnections comes from research published by Ofcom, most recently updated in September 2023. Ofcom defines a disconnection as any loss of service lasting 30 seconds or longer, recorded on a daily basis.

Disconnections can occur for a range of reasons, including issues inside the home such as equipment being switched off, as well as problems on the provider's network.

When results are grouped by connection type, Ofcom found higher daily disconnection rates on older copper and part-fibre services, followed by full-fibre connections. Cable networks showed the highest proportion of days with no disconnections at all.

Note: Disconnection rates capture full service drop-outs only. They do not reflect degraded performance, congestion or short interruptions, which are covered by broader experience-based measures such as Opensignal's Reliability Experience.

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Customer satisfaction with reliability

Choose previously carried out an independent survey of 2,000 broadband users, asking respondents to rate how stable and reliable they felt their broadband service was, on a scale from one to five.

In this survey, smaller and regional providers such as Zen Internet, Hyperoptic and KCOM received the highest reliability scores, while larger national providers tended to score lower.

Ofcom also surveys customers on their experience of broadband reliability. While the category is now labelled "satisfaction with speed of service", Ofcom continues to reference this measure as an indicator of reliability within its analysis.

Ofcom's research found Plusnet customers were most likely to report satisfaction with reliability, followed closely by Virgin Media and Vodafone, all performing above the industry average.

TalkTalk customers were less likely to report satisfaction with reliability, scoring below the industry average.

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Customer complaints

Complaints data provides additional context on how often reliability issues escalate to formal disputes with the regulator.

Sky and EE recorded the lowest complaint volumes, reflecting fewer unresolved issues reaching the regulator.

Plusnet customers reported high overall satisfaction despite a higher complaints rate, alongside a relatively low proportion of customers stating they had a reason to complain.

Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Vodafone recorded higher complaint volumes and a greater proportion of customers reporting reasons to complain, highlighting areas where reliability issues are more likely to escalate.

Across providers, the most common reasons for complaints continue to relate to service performance, including slow speeds, intermittent connectivity or total loss of service.

Where satisfaction levels are lower, poor service performance remains the primary driver of dissatisfaction. Taken together, these measures help illustrate how technical reliability and customer experience do not always align.

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Broadband reliability guarantees

Broadband providers increasingly offer wireless guarantees and optional add-ons designed to improve in-home connectivity rather than the underlying broadband connection itself.

These guarantees typically promise a minimum WiFi speed or coverage within the home, sometimes alongside additional technical support or access to specialist help.

While many providers now offer WiFi guarantees, the terms vary significantly and not all operate as true guarantees in practice.

• Verification usually relies on the provider's own testing systems, rather than independent speed tests.
• Performance often needs to fall below the guaranteed level over a sustained period, rather than during a single short-term slowdown.
• In most cases, these guarantees offer bill credits or remedial action rather than the right to exit a contract.

Wireless guarantees can be useful for larger homes where mesh systems improve coverage, but they do not remove the need for troubleshooting and verification if performance falls short.

In most cases, the guaranteed speeds are relatively low and designed to ensure basic usability rather than high-performance connectivity.

You can read more in our full guide to wireless guarantees, including whether lower guaranteed speeds may be sufficient for lighter use.

Minimum speed guarantees

Separately, providers may also offer minimum speed guarantees under a voluntary code introduced by Ofcom.

Under the Broadband Speeds Code of Practice, providers commit to a minimum download speed at sign-up. If speeds fall below this level for three consecutive days, the provider typically has 30 days to resolve the issue. If speeds remain below the minimum after that period, customers may leave their contract without early termination fees.

Providers signed up to the code include:

• BT
• EE
• NOW Broadband
• Plusnet
• Sky
• TalkTalk
• Utility Warehouse
• Virgin Media
• Zen Internet

Some providers, including Vodafone and several smaller full-fibre networks such as Hyperoptic and Community Fibre, are not signed up to the code. However, some still offer their own minimum speed commitments outside the formal scheme.

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Reliability of smaller broadband providers

While our own survey included some smaller providers such as Zen Internet, Hyperoptic and KCOM, Ofcom's published reliability data focuses primarily on larger national broadband providers. As a result, there is less independent, comparable data available for smaller networks.

This can make it harder for customers to assess how reliable a smaller provider may be before signing up. One option is to look at customer reviews on independent review platforms.

Some review platforms allow users to filter feedback by keywords such as "service" or "problem", which can help highlight recurring issues. However, there are important limitations to bear in mind:

• Reviews tend to be left by customers with particularly positive or negative experiences, so they may not reflect the average user.
• All broadband providers will have some negative reviews, and their presence alone does not indicate poor reliability.
• Some reliability complaints may be caused by localised network or installation issues rather than wider network performance.

How providers respond to reviews can offer insight into their approach to fault resolution and customer support.

Review sites can therefore provide useful context on customer experience, but they should be used alongside independent performance data and local availability checks, rather than as a sole indicator of reliability.

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Summary: Who is the most reliable broadband provider?

Virgin Media, Plusnet and Sky stand out as the most reliable broadband providers overall, each performing strongly across different aspects of reliability.

Virgin Media stands out for strong network reliability, combining fast fault resolution with low repeat contact rates. Independent measurement data also shows Virgin Media leading on real-world reliability experience, reflecting the performance benefits of its upgraded cable and growing full-fibre network.

Plusnet performs particularly well on fault-related measures, with low fault levels and one of the lowest rates of repeat contact when issues occur. It also records high satisfaction scores, including for reliability, suggesting problems are generally resolved effectively when they arise.

Sky records consistently low complaint levels and relatively low fault and re-contact rates, indicating that issues are less likely to escalate and are typically resolved without repeated follow-up..

Vodafone can be a strong option for households prioritising resilience, thanks to its Pro 3 package, which includes WiFi boosters and automatic 4G back-up if the fixed-line connection fails. However, these features help mitigate outages rather than replacing underlying network reliability.

It's also important to note that broadband reliability is influenced by the underlying network as much as the retail provider. Many major providers, including BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone, rely on the Openreach network for at least part of their coverage.

There is a clear improvement in reliability when moving from older part-fibre (FTTC) connections to full-fibre (FTTP) services, so upgrading to full fibre can deliver more stable performance where it is available.

You can read more in our guides to the UK's fastest broadband and the best broadband for gaming.

We also compare Sky and Virgin Media directly for households looking to bundle broadband with TV services.