Report: Complaints about broadband, landline, mobile and pay-TV services

As the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom receives complaints from customers about their landline, fixed broadband, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV services.

To better understand the reasons for dissatisfaction among residential customers in our sectors, we compile that data and determine the number of complaints received by provider and by service. To compare the performance of providers, on a quarterly basis we publish the number of complaints that we received about them relative to the size of their customer bases (i.e. per 100,000 customers).

Overall trends

In the quarter from October to December 2023 (Q4 2023), complaints to Ofcom have remained at similar levels from the previous quarter (Q3 2023: July to September 2023). Complaints about landline, fixed broadband and pay-TV all fell from the previous quarter while mobile pay-monthly remained at similar levels.

Virgin Media remained the most complained about broadband, landline and pay-TV provider, although they did see a fall in all of these areas from the previous quarter. Customers’ complaints were again mainly driven by how their complaints were being handled.
Sky again generated the fewest complaints per 100,000 subscribers in both broadband and landline.
Sky and TalkTalk were the least complained about pay-TV providers this quarter, receiving the fewest complaints per 100,000 subscribers.
O2 was the most complained-about mobile operator, with their complaints again primarily driven by how customers’ complaints were being handled. Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, EE and Vodafone received the fewest complaints in the mobile sector.

See below for information about the comparability of certain providers’ number of complaints. Our background and methodology document (PDF, 223.7 KB) goes into more detail.

The chart below shows the relative volume of complaints we have received for broadband, landline, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV services. You can use the slider to filter by year.

Relative volume of complaints per service per 100,000 customers

Taking a year-on-year comparison, the relative volume of complaints for fixed broadband, fixed landline, mobile pay-monthly and pay-TV have all increased.

League tables & key complaints

Fixed broadband

Landline

Pay-monthly mobile

Pay-TV

Comparability of complaints per 100,000 subscribers

Where the actual measurable difference between providers’ number of complaints per 100,000 customers is less than 1, we consider their results to be comparable. Within the following sectors, we consider the listed providers to be comparable:

Fixed broadband:

Plusnet and EE;
TalkTalk and Vodafone;
Vodafone and Shell.

Landline:

Plusnet, Industry Average and BT.

Pay-monthly mobile:

Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, EE and Vodafone;
Vodafone, BT Mobile and iD Mobile;
BT Mobile, iD Mobile, Industry Average and Three.

Pay-TV:

Sky and TalkTalk.

Overall complaints by sector

The chart below shows complaints for all providers in each of the four sectors.

Comparing different providers

To compare two or more providers’ performance, select the service and then the providers you want to compare from the lists on the right.

Complaints by provider

Compare complaints for a provider across multiple sectors by using the options on the right.

More information

The underlying data is available in CSV format (CSV, 13.4 KB). We also include overall trend data for pay-as-you-go mobile complaints.

You can also read the report's background and methodology (PDF, 223.7 KB)

Older reports

Older reports are available via the National Archives.