UK broadband providers see mixed performance as complaints fall but reliability concerns persist

Consumer group Which? ranked the UK's biggest broadband providers on reliability, speed and value. Sky was judged the worst for frequent drop‑outs, with 38% of customers reporting issues, while Virgin Media also performed poorly, with 30% of users citing regular outages and slow speeds. Smaller alternative networks such as Zen Internet, Community Fibre and Hyperoptic outperformed the major brands, and Plusnet was highlighted as a larger‑provider that fared better than rivals like Vodafone, EE and BT.

Separate data from regulator Ofcom showed a record low level of broadband complaints in Q1 2026 – just six complaints per 100,000 customers, an 85% decline from the 2011 peak. TalkTalk generated the highest complaint rate among major fixed‑line providers, whereas Plusnet and Sky recorded the fewest. Overall telecom complaints, including landline and pay‑TV services, returned to historic lows after a brief rise in Q4 2025.