Ofcom has released its quarterly telecoms complaints data for Q1 2025, revealing which UK providers received the most customer complaints across broadband, mobile, landline, and pay TV services. The data reflects complaints made directly to Ofcom, not those reported to providers or resolved through external mediation.
The figures are calculated per 100,000 customers, offering a fair comparison across providers of different sizes. While some operators showed signs of improvement, others continue to face ongoing customer dissatisfaction.
TalkTalk Draws the Most Issues, Plusnet Performs Best
TalkTalk recorded the highest level of complaints in the broadband category, mainly driven by ongoing service faults and delays in service activation. Around 41% of the complaints about TalkTalk were linked to technical problems and provisioning failures. This places the provider at the bottom of the broadband satisfaction table once again, continuing a trend seen in previous quarters.
In contrast, Plusnet had the fewest complaints, showing consistent reliability and customer service responsiveness. It overtook Sky Broadband, which typically ranks among the best performers.
Virgin Media’s broadband complaints also increased slightly from the previous quarter. Vodafone, BT, and EE remained around the industry average, while NOW Broadband saw a drop in complaint levels.
This quarter’s broadband complaint figures (per 100,000 customers) were:
- TalkTalk: 13
- Virgin Media: 12
- BT, EE, Vodafone: 11
- NOW Broadband: 9
- Sky Broadband: 7
- Plusnet: 5
- Industry average: 10
EE and TalkTalk Jointly Lead in Landline Complaints
When it comes to fixed landline services, EE and TalkTalk received the most complaints. Both providers faced customer concerns mainly related to service interruptions and delayed activation. These issues continue to impact customer experience, particularly among households still relying on voice calls through fixed lines.
Utility Warehouse remained the best-performing landline provider, registering the lowest complaint rate for the fifth consecutive quarter. Sky and Plusnet also maintained low complaint levels, indicating reliable service and relatively few provisioning issues.
Landline complaints (per 100,000 customers) were:
- EE, TalkTalk: 8
- BT: 7
- Virgin Media: 5
- NOW Broadband: 4
- Vodafone: 3
- Plusnet: 3
- Sky Talk: 2
- Utility Warehouse: 1
- Industry average: 5
O2 Still Has the Highest Rate, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone Perform Well
In the mobile services category, O2 received the highest number of complaints per 100,000 customers. Nearly a third of O2’s complaints were linked to poor complaint handling processes rather than network issues. This shows a gap between customer expectations and how problems are being managed, even as network coverage and speeds remain broadly consistent.
Tesco Mobile and Vodafone registered the lowest complaint rates in this segment, with consistently strong customer satisfaction scores. Sky Mobile, EE and Three UK also remained close to the industry average, suggesting a broadly stable mobile market.
Q1 2025 mobile complaint figures were:
- O2: 3
- EE, Sky Mobile, Three UK, iD Mobile: 2
- Vodafone, Tesco Mobile: 1
- Industry average: 2
Virgin Media Remains at the Bottom, Sky TV Leads Again
Virgin Media continued to receive the most complaints for pay TV services, slightly rising from the previous quarter. Issues cited by customers include billing errors, delayed service fixes, and account management problems. EE also saw increased complaint levels in this segment.
Sky TV once again had the lowest complaint rate, maintaining its position as the most consistent performer in the pay TV category. TalkTalk remained close to the industry average.
Pay TV complaints per 100,000 customers:
- Virgin Media: 8
- EE: 7
- TalkTalk: 3
- Sky TV: 2
- Industry average: 4
Trends and Satisfaction Rates Across Telecoms
While complaint rates give insight into service issues, broader customer satisfaction metrics show a slightly different picture. In Ofcom’s May 2025 report, broadband satisfaction stood at 84%, up from 82% in previous years. Mobile satisfaction was even higher at 88%, while landline satisfaction dropped to 73%, down from 77% two years ago. These figures show steady progress in broadband and mobile service delivery, though landline reliability appears to be declining.
The overall industry trend suggests that mobile networks are managing to maintain stable customer experiences, while fixed-line services—particularly broadband and landlines—still have pain points around fault resolution and service delivery.
Final Overview
The Q1 2025 Ofcom complaints report offers a clear picture of which telecom providers are underperforming in customer service and technical reliability. TalkTalk’s ongoing broadband and landline issues, O2’s poor complaint handling in mobile, and Virgin Media’s continued struggles with pay TV all point to key areas needing attention. On the other hand, Plusnet, Tesco Mobile, Sky, and Utility Warehouse demonstrated stronger performance across their respective categories.
While overall satisfaction with broadband and mobile services is improving, the gap between providers continues to be significant. For consumers, this data remains a useful benchmark when choosing or switching services. For providers, it’s a reminder that reliability, responsiveness, and support quality are still the most critical factors shaping customer experience in 2025.
