Ofcom's Q4 2025 telecoms complaints data, covering October to December 2025, shows Vodafone and TalkTalk generating the most broadband complaints (11 and 10 per 100,000 subscribers against an industry average of 7), O2 leading mobile complaints (7 per 100,000, mainly contract-related, following mid-contract price rise announcements), EE topping both landline and pay-TV complaints, and Plusnet and Virgin Media generating the fewest broadband complaints. This was the first quarter-on-quarter rise in overall complaints since Q3 2023, driven specifically by mobile. |
Kael Tripton · UK Telecoms Desk · Primary sources only |
TL;DR
Last reviewed: July 2026 |
KEY FACTS
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Broadband complaints per 100,000 subscribers, Q4 2025
Higher bar = more complaints (worse). Source: Ofcom.
| Vodafone | 11 | ||
| TalkTalk | 10 | ||
| BT | 8 | ||
| EE | 8 | ||
| Sky | 7 | ||
| Virgin Media | 5 | ||
| Plusnet | 5 |
Red = above industry average (7 per 100,000) · Green = below average · Grey = at average.
Mobile complaints per 100,000 subscribers, Q4 2025
Higher bar = more complaints (worse). Source: Ofcom.
| O2 | 7 | ||
| Sky Mobile | 5 | ||
| iD Mobile | 3 | ||
| Vodafone | 2 | ||
| Three | 1 | ||
| EE | 1 | ||
| Tesco Mobile | 1 |
Red = above industry average (3 per 100,000) · Green = below average · Grey = at average.
Landline complaints per 100,000 subscribers, Q4 2025
Higher bar = more complaints (worse). Source: Ofcom.
| EE | 6 | ||
| NOW Broadband | 6 | ||
| BT | 5 | ||
| Plusnet | 5 | ||
| TalkTalk | 5 | ||
| Vodafone | 3 | ||
| Sky | 2 | ||
| Virgin Media | 2 | ||
| Utility Warehouse | 1 |
Red = above industry average (3 per 100,000) · Green = below average · Grey = at average.
Pay-TV complaints per 100,000 subscribers, Q4 2025
Higher bar = more complaints (worse). Source: Ofcom.
| EE | 5 | ||
| Virgin Media | 3 | ||
| Sky | 3 | ||
| TalkTalk | 2 |
Red = above industry average (3 per 100,000) · Green = below average · Grey = at average.
Why complaints rose this quarter, after two years of falls
Ofcom's Q4 2025 figures mark the first quarter-on-quarter increase in overall telecoms and pay-TV complaints since Q3 2023, breaking a sustained period of improvement. The regulator was explicit about the cause: broadband and landline complaints actually fell during the quarter, and pay-TV stayed flat, but mobile complaints rose sharply enough to push the overall total up. Ofcom's own director of consumers and retail markets linked the rise directly to mid-contract price rise announcements made by some mobile providers, including O2, in autumn 2025.
That distinction matters for anyone reading the headline number: this was not a broad decline in service quality across the industry, but a concentrated spike in one category, tied to a specific commercial event rather than a general deterioration in network performance or support quality.
Broadband: Vodafone and TalkTalk lead, Plusnet and Virgin Media trail
Vodafone generated 11 complaints per 100,000 broadband subscribers in Q4 2025, and TalkTalk 10, both clearly above the industry average of 7. Vodafone's figure represented an increase on the previous quarter, while TalkTalk's remained static rather than worsening further. BT and EE both sat at 8, just above average, with Sky matching the average exactly at 7.
Plusnet and Virgin Media generated the fewest broadband complaints, both at 5 per 100,000, making them the strongest performers in this category for the quarter. Ofcom's own comparability note flags TalkTalk and Vodafone as distinct from each other despite both being worst-performers, since the gap between them exceeds the regulator's 1-point comparability threshold.
Mobile: O2's price-rise complaints, and the networks with almost none
O2 was the most complained-about mobile provider in Q4 2025 at 7 per 100,000 subscribers, more than double the industry average of 3, with Ofcom specifically citing contract-related issues as the primary driver, consistent with the autumn 2025 price rise announcements. Sky Mobile followed at 5 per 100,000, also above average.
At the other end, Three, EE and Tesco Mobile each recorded just 1 complaint per 100,000 subscribers, the lowest in the mobile category. Vodafone, at 2, and iD Mobile, matching the industry average of 3, sat in the middle of the field. The spread here is unusually wide for mobile: O2's rate was seven times higher than the best-performing networks in the same quarter.
Landline: the category with the widest range between best and worst
EE and NOW Broadband tied for the most landline complaints at 6 per 100,000 each, double the industry average of 3. BT, Plusnet and TalkTalk followed at 5 each, still above average. Vodafone matched the average exactly at 3.
Sky and Virgin Media both generated just 2 complaints per 100,000, and Utility Warehouse recorded only 1, the single best landline figure across any provider in any of Ofcom's four tracked categories this quarter. For a service many households treat as an afterthought behind broadband, the sevenfold gap between Utility Warehouse and the worst performers is a genuinely underreported finding.
Pay-TV: EE's unusual lead in a category dominated by legacy broadcasters
EE generated the most pay-TV complaints in Q4 2025 at 5 per 100,000, well above the industry average of 3. This is a smaller, more concentrated category than broadband or mobile, with fewer major providers tracked, but EE's position at the top is notable given the brand's traditionally strong performance in the mobile complaints table for the same quarter.
Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media were identified as the least complained-about pay-TV providers, with TalkTalk and Virgin Media around 2-3 per 100,000, matching or beating the industry average comfortably.
Reading these figures correctly: what Ofcom's own caveats mean
Ofcom explicitly notes that where the measurable difference between two providers' complaints per 100,000 is less than 1, the results should be treated as statistically comparable rather than meaningfully different. In broadband, this currently groups TalkTalk and Vodafone together, and separately groups BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk, EE and NOW Broadband as comparable to each other on landline. This nuance is easy to lose in headline rankings but matters for anyone using this data to choose between two closely-matched providers.
It is also worth noting these figures measure complaints escalated through a defined process, not simply dissatisfaction: a complaint must first go through the provider's own resolution process and then be referred to an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme (Ombudsman Services: Communications or CISAS) before it counts in Ofcom's table. Even the worst-performing provider in any category generated complaints from a small fraction of its total customer base.
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Editorial disclaimer This report is informational and educational only, built entirely from Ofcom's own published complaints data. Kaeltripton.com is an independent editorial publisher: it runs no quote lines, routes no leads and takes no commission from any provider named on this page. Complaint figures are per 100,000 subscribers as published by Ofcom for Q4 2025 (October to December) and will be superseded by Ofcom's next quarterly release. Kael Tripton Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the FCA. |
Frequently asked questions
Which broadband provider had the most complaints in Q4 2025?
Vodafone generated the most broadband complaints in Q4 2025 at 11 per 100,000 subscribers, followed by TalkTalk at 10, both above the industry average of 7.
Why did mobile complaints rise in Q4 2025?
Ofcom linked the rise specifically to mid-contract price rise announcements made by some mobile providers, including O2, in autumn 2025. O2 was the most complained-about mobile provider this quarter, with contract-related issues cited as the main driver.
Which telecoms provider had the fewest complaints overall in Q4 2025?
Utility Warehouse recorded the lowest complaint rate of any provider in any category, at 1 per 100,000 landline subscribers. Three, EE and Tesco Mobile tied for the lowest mobile complaint rate, also at 1 per 100,000.
Sources |
