Ofcom broadband complaints reach record low

Complaints about the UK's major broadband providers have fallen to their lowest level on record, according to the latest figures from Ofcom.

TalkTalk attracted the most broadband complaints during the first quarter of 2026, while Plusnet was once again among the least complained-about providers.

Virgin Media's run as one of the UK's least complained-about broadband providers came to an end after two consecutive quarters at the top of the rankings.

Illustration: Choose.co.uk

Complaints fall to record low

Broadband complaints fell to their lowest level on record during the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest figures from Ofcom.

The regulator recorded an industry average of six complaints per 100,000 broadband customers between January and March, down from seven in the previous quarter. Complaint levels have now fallen by 85% since peaking at 40 complaints per 100,000 customers in 2011.

The improvement wasn't limited to broadband. Complaints about pay-monthly mobile providers also fell to two complaints per 100,000 customers, matching the lowest level Ofcom has recorded for the sector, while landline and pay TV complaints remained unchanged at three complaints per 100,000 customers.

Broadband complaint rates also remained relatively closely grouped. Just six complaints per 100,000 customers separated the highest and lowest complaint rates among the major providers during the quarter, with most providers either maintaining or improving their position compared with the previous quarter. Virgin Media was the only major broadband provider to record an increase in complaints.

The latest figures indicate that quarter-to-quarter movements are becoming smaller than in previous years, with no provider recording the large swings in complaint rates seen during some earlier reporting periods.

Despite the record-low industry average, differences between providers remain. TalkTalk recorded 10 complaints per 100,000 broadband customers during the quarter, compared with four complaints per 100,000 customers for Plusnet, the lowest complaint rate among the major providers.

TalkTalk remains the most complained-about broadband provider

TalkTalk remained the UK's most complained-about broadband provider during the first quarter of 2026, recording 10 complaints per 100,000 customers. Its complaint rate was unchanged from the previous quarter, leaving it well above the industry average of six complaints per 100,000 customers.

Vodafone remained the second most complained-about provider despite recording one of the biggest improvements during the quarter. Complaints fell from 11 to eight per 100,000 customers, while BT also improved, reducing its complaint rate from eight to seven.

At the other end of the table, Plusnet continued to generate the fewest broadband complaints, with four complaints per 100,000 customers. Sky also improved, reducing its complaint rate from seven to five complaints per 100,000 customers, while EE and Virgin Media both matched the industry average with six complaints per 100,000 customers.

In the landline market, Plusnet generated the highest complaint rate with seven complaints per 100,000 customers, followed by TalkTalk on six. BT and NOW both recorded four complaints per 100,000 customers, while EE, Sky, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Utility Warehouse performed at levels statistically comparable with the industry average.

Sky Mobile recorded the highest rate of pay-monthly mobile complaints during the quarter, with four complaints per 100,000 customers. O2 and iD Mobile followed on three complaints per 100,000 customers, while Three and Tesco Mobile matched the industry average on two. EE, Giffgaff and Vodafone generated the fewest complaints, with just one complaint per 100,000 customers.

EE remained the most complained-about pay TV provider, recording four complaints per 100,000 customers. Virgin Media matched the industry average on three complaints per 100,000 customers, while Sky and TalkTalk jointly generated the fewest complaints, with two complaints per 100,000 customers each.

Broadband complaints (per 100,000 customers)

Landline complaints (per 100,000 customers)

Pay-monthly mobile complaints (per 100,000 customers)

Pay TV complaints (per 100,000 customers)

Virgin Media's recovery pauses after reaching record lows

Virgin Media recorded six broadband complaints per 100,000 customers during the first quarter of 2026, up from five complaints in the previous quarter. The increase means the provider no longer shares the position of least complained-about major broadband provider after reaching that milestone at the end of 2025.

After falling from double-digit complaint levels in late 2023 to match the industry average, the latest increase brings that run of quarterly improvements to an end. Even so, Virgin Media remains well below the complaint levels it recorded for much of the past decade.

Over the past year, the provider has overhauled its customer service operation, introducing expanded UK-based specialist teams, additional staff training and AI-assisted support tools.

Ofcom's latest figures were published just weeks after the regulator fined Virgin Media £28 million for making it unnecessarily difficult for customers to cancel their services between January 2022 and September 2024. The regulator said customers experienced long waiting times, repeated call transfers and disconnected calls when trying to leave.

That enforcement action relates to the same period during which Virgin Media regularly appeared among the UK's most complained-about broadband providers. While the complaint data and enforcement case measure different aspects of customer experience, both point to a period when the provider was attracting unusually high levels of customer dissatisfaction.

Since then, Virgin Media's position in Ofcom's quarterly complaints data has changed significantly. While quarterly complaint rates will always fluctuate, a return to the double-digit complaint levels seen in 2024 would likely require a fresh deterioration in performance rather than normal quarter-to-quarter variation.