UK Broadband Complaints Fall to Lowest Level Since Ofcom Records Began

LONDON — Complaints made to Ofcom about major UK broadband providers have fallen to their lowest level since the regulator began publishing comparable figures.

The latest data covers January to March 2026 and shows that broadband complaints declined to six per 100,000 customers. In 2011, when complaints reached their recorded peak, the rate stood at 40 per 100,000.

Ofcom publishes the figures every quarter to help consumers compare the performance of broadband, mobile, landline and pay-television providers.

The data represents complaints submitted directly to Ofcom rather than every complaint made to the companies themselves. It therefore provides a measure of relative customer dissatisfaction but does not show the total number of technical faults or service disputes across the market.

Ofcom described the record decline as encouraging and said competition, network investment and greater consumer choice had contributed to improvements. The regulator nevertheless warned providers against complacency.

Customers continue to raise concerns involving service reliability, billing, contract terms, speed and complaints handling. Performance may also vary considerably by location because network availability and infrastructure differ between areas.

Consumers should therefore consider several factors when selecting a provider, including price, expected speed, contract length, reliability and customer-service performance.

Households experiencing a problem should first use their provider’s formal complaints procedure. If the matter remains unresolved after the required period, or the provider issues a deadlock letter, the customer may be able to refer the dispute to an approved alternative dispute-resolution service.

The decline from 40 complaints per 100,000 customers in 2011 to six in early 2026 indicates a substantial long-term improvement.

Maintaining that progress will be increasingly important as households depend on broadband for employment, education, banking, healthcare and communication.