BT, EE, TalkTalk, and Vodafone were the broadband providers with the highest complaint rates in the second quarter of 2026, according to the industry regulator’s latest report. Each of these companies recorded seven complaints per 100,000 subscribers, exceeding the industry average of six.

The majority of complaints related to faults, service quality, and provisioning issues, including loss of service, delayed installation, and poor mobile coverage. Other concerns highlighted by customers involved difficulties with switching providers, billing disputes, and how complaints were managed. Some consumers took to social media to express ongoing problems, such as unresolved faults reported a week prior, long-standing outages since July, intermittent connections, and recurrent Wi-Fi disruptions.

While the number of broadband complaints remained steady compared with the first quarter of 2026, the regulator noted an overall decrease in telecommunications complaints during the period. This decline was primarily attributable to fewer complaints about pay-TV services, whereas issues with broadband, landline, and pay-monthly mobile services saw no significant change.

Opinions on the trends in complaints were mixed. Mark Jackson, editor of broadband and connectivity website ISPreview, pointed out that over the past decade and a half, the proportion of broadband-related complaints made to the regulator has fallen substantially. He attributed this improvement largely to stronger regulation and enhanced consumer protection laws.

On the other end of the spectrum, Virgin Media, Sky, and Plusnet recorded fewer broadband complaints, with four and five complaints per 100,000 subscribers, respectively. However, when it came to landline services, Plusnet registered the highest complaint rate at ten complaints per 100,000 subscribers—significantly above the industry average of three. EE, BT, and TalkTalk also exceeded the average for landline grievances, reporting four, five, and six complaints respectively, while Vodafone’s landline complaint rate was lower at two per 100,000 subscribers.

TalkTalk said it is actively undertaking a customer service transformation aimed at improving issue resolution and communication with customers as part of its efforts to enhance broadband service quality.

BT has made significant recent moves in the UK telecommunications market, acquiring EE in a £12.5 billion deal in 2016 and most recently completing a £400 million rescue takeover of TalkTalk’s consumer division in October 2026. A BT spokesperson emphasized the company's ongoing investments in technology and staff training to improve customer experience.

Representatives from the other companies were contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.