- London ranked third worst in UK for most broadband outages for every £100 customers spend
- At city level, customers in London pay the third most for outages in the UK
- People who experience outages may be entitled to £9.98 for every day of an outage if your provider is part of Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme
Broadband customers in London are among those paying the most for broadband outages, new research from UK broadband comparison site Broadband Genie has found.
3,200 broadband bill payers were ranked by how many outages lasting over 48 hours they encounter for every £100 they spend on their broadband deal.
Where in the UK do customers pay the most for broadband outages?
Broadband customers in London experience 0.53 outages lasting over 48 hours for every £100 spent. This is higher than the UK average of 0.37 outages per £100 spent. Yorkshire and the Humber has the lowest rate in the UK, at 0.15 outages per £100 spent.
It’s more bad news for bill payers in London. At city level, only Glasgow and Belfast experience more outages than London bill broadband payers for every £100 they spend.
| Rank | Region | No. of outages for every £100 customer spend |
| 1 | Scotland | 0.67 |
| 2 | Northern Ireland | 0.57 |
| 3 | London | 0.53 |
| 4 | South East | 0.34 |
| 5 | North West | 0.31 |
| 6 | East of England | 0.29 |
| 7 | North East | 0.27 |
| 8 | East Midlands | 0.25 |
| 9 | South West | 0.24 |
| 10 | West Midlands | 0.23 |
| 11 | Wales | 0.22 |
| 12 | Yorkshire and the Humber | 0.15 |
Which broadband providers in London give customers the least reliability for their money?
Subscribers of Cuckoo experience 1.58 outages for every £100 they spend. Community Fibre and BT customers incur the fewest outages for every £100 they spend.
| Rank | Provider | No. of outages for every £100 customer spend |
| 1 | Cuckoo | 1.58 |
| 2 | Youfibre | 1.23 |
| 3 | BeFibre | 1.15 |
| 4 | Origin | 1.11 |
| 5 | Gigaclear | 1.08 |
| 6 | Direct Save | 0.92 |
| 7 | NOW Broadband | 0.90 |
| 8 | Three Broadband | 0.82 |
| 9 | Zen Internet | 0.80 |
| 10 | Trooli | 0.76 |
| 11 | EE | 0.71 |
| 12 | Hyperoptic | 0.57 |
| 13 | Sky | 0.52 |
| 14 | Plusnet | 0.50 |
| 15 | Vodafone | 0.49 |
| 16 | Virgin Media | 0.44 |
| 17 | TalkTalk | 0.29 |
| 18 | BT | 0.20 |
| 19 | Community Fibre | 0.10 |
Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie:
“No one should be paying over the odds for unreliable broadband. It’s unacceptable the number of outages customers are experiencing after spending hundreds of pounds on their broadband.
“We always recommend that consumers check independent reviews, especially in their area, as provider reliability can vary by location. At the very least, ensure their provider is signed up to Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme.
“And, if you do lose connectivity, make sure you put that claim in. It’s your money, and you’re entitled to it!”
Can I claim compensation for a broadband outage?
If your provider is in Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme, you can claim £9.98 per day. But only if your service has stopped working, and it is not fully fixed after two full working days.
Here are the providers who currently take part in the scheme:
- BT
- EE
- Hyperoptic
- Plusnet
- Sky (including NOW Broadband)
- TalkTalk
- Utility Warehouse
- Virgin Media
- Vodafone
- Zen Internet
If your provider isn’t part of Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme, you won’t be entitled to the £9.98 daily compensation. However, you may still be able to claim compensation directly from your provider.
Here’s what to do:
- Check your provider’s terms and conditions: some companies offer compensation for service outages.
- Complain to your provider: contact customer service and explain how the outage has affected you. They may offer a goodwill gesture.
- Escalate the complaint: If your provider refuses compensation, and you’re not happy with their answer, you can take your complaint to an independent ombudsman. This could be CISAS or the Communications Ombudsman, based on your provider’s registration.
- Consider switching: if outages are frequent and your provider isn’t offering fair compensation, it might be worth moving to a provider that’s part of Ofcom’s compensation scheme.
If you’re not sure what your provider offers, check their website or contact them directly.
