To help you stay informed, we’ve created a league table of the UK’s biggest broadband providers, ranked by number of customers. This feature is updated quarterly to reflect the latest figures, helping you see who’s leading the pack – and who’s catching up.
Figures are estimates based on the most recent public reports and industry sources. Many of these providers are expanding rapidly, so rankings may shift significantly quarter to quarter.
BT remains the UK’s broadband giant, delivering services to over 9 million customers. It is made up of three very well-known retail names: BT, EE and Plusnet, who all operate as their own independent brands.
Known for over 30 years as the UK’s biggest paid-TV provider, Sky now sits in the top three as a broadband service too, with over 6.7 million customers currently signed up.
With its own independent network, Virgin Media offers some of the fastest broadband speeds nationwide as well as some of the best entertainment packages. Even though it’s only available to just over 50% of the UK, it still has a huge 5.8 million customer base
TalkTalk appeals to budget-conscious users with competitively priced packages, and it remains one of the UK’s most recognisable telecoms brands. It takes fourth spot with 13% of the UK market share.
A new wave of broadband providers is shaking up the market. These smaller companies operate on their own full fibre network rather than the Openreach network used by the majority of other UK providers, meaning they have more control over service and speed. They often focus on full fibre rollouts in underserved areas, have competitive pricing and better customer service.
Here are a few to watch out for:
This smart alt-net focuses on urban areas and is one of the biggest of its kind. It offers ultrafast gigabit broadband in select cities and new apartment blocks.
London’s largest 100% full-fibre provider gives amazing speeds – up to 3Gbps – accompanied by very reasonable pricing.
Fibrus Networks Ltd is bringing superfast full fibre broadband to rural homes across Northern Ireland and Northern England.
This newcomer has seen a successful rapid rise and is now bringing superfast and affordable internet to homes across West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Specialising in rural fibre broadband and hard-to-reach areas, this small-but-mighty altnet has taken charge of bringing full fibre to remoter locations being overlooked by other networks.
Flexible, fast and affordable, this fairly new – 2018 – broadband provider has made a name for itself in the south and southeast of England.
While major providers offer broad coverage and bundles, smaller ISPs often outperform them in customer service and speed. Do your research and check on the independent consumer review platform, Trustpilot. For most you’ll see impressive scores, especially when compared against other providers such as Virgin or TalkTalk.
Their smaller size often works in favour with many customers finding they get better, more personable service and quicker resolutions if anything does go wrong. These growing businesses are focused on providing the best service they can and improving their share in the market.
We update this broadband league table every quarter to reflect market changes and new customer data. Keep an eye on this page to see how the UK broadband landscape evolves.
Need help picking the best provider? Compare broadband deals in your postcode now and find the right fit for your home.
