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 January to March 2024 (Q1 2024), complaints to Ofcom have fallen from the previous quarter (Q4 2023: October to December 2023). Complaints about landline, fixed broadband and pay-TV all fell from the previous quarter while mobile pay-monthly complaints rose slightly.

NOW Broadband was the most complained about broadband provider, with customers’ complaints mainly driven by how their complaints were being handled.
NOW Broadband, EE and Virgin Media were the most complained about landline providers, with NOW’s and Virgin’s complaints being driven by how complaints were being handled while EE’s complaints were driven by customers’ experience with faults, service and provisioning.
Virgin Media was the most complained about pay-TV provider, with customers’ complaints mainly driven by how their complaints were being handled. Sky and EE received the fewest complaints per 100,000 subscribers.
Utility Warehouse generated the fewest complaints per 100,000 subscribers in landline while Sky was joined by Shell Energy as the least complained about broadband providers.
O2 remains the most complained about mobile operator, with their complaints again primarily driven by how customers’ complaints were being handled. Tesco Mobile, Sky 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 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 100,000 customers

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

League tables & key complaints

Fixed broadband

1/2

Broadband complaints per 100,000 subscribers. It illustrates the providers receiving the fewest complaints at the top of the table and those receiving the most complaints are placed at the bottom of the table.

2/2

Reasons for complaining about broadband services. It shows the key complaints drivers for the industry average and the worst-performing provider.

Landline

1/2

Landline complaints per 100,000 subscribers. It illustrates the providers receiving the fewest complaints at the top of the table and those receiving the most complaints are placed at the bottom of the table..

2/2

Reasons for complaining about landline services. It shows the key complaints drivers for the industry average and the worst-performing provider.

Pay-monthly mobile

1/2

Mobile complaints per 100,000 subscribers. It illustrates the providers receiving the fewest complaints at the top of the table and those receiving the most complaints are placed at the bottom of the table.

2/2

Reasons for complaining about mobile services. It shows the key complaints drivers for the industry average and the worst-performing provider.

Pay-TV

1/2

Pay TV complaints per 100,000 subscribers. It illustrates the providers receiving the fewest complaints at the top of the table and those receiving the most complaints are placed at the bottom of the table.

2/2

Reasons for complaining about pay-TV services. It shows the key complaints drivers for the industry average and the worst-performing provider.

Comparability of complaints per 100,000 customers

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:

Sky and Shell Energy;
TalkTalk and Industry Average.

Landline:

Shell Energy, Plusnet, BT and Vodafone;
BT, Vodafone and Industry Average;
Vodafone, EE and NOW Broadband.

Pay-monthly mobile:

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

Pay-TV:

1. Sky and EE.

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. We also include overall trend data for pay-as-you-go mobile complaints.

You can also read the report’s background and methodology.

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Older reports are available via the National Archives.

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