Battle · 9 companies
Broadband and mobile
The strongest signal wins. Dropped connections lose.
BT leads on 3 of the five measures that matter most: turnover, pre-tax profit, profit margin, growth and net assets. BT is the biggest by turnover at £19,654m, against £10,396m at Sky. EE keeps the most of every £100 it takes, £26.80 as pre-tax profit.
The year ends are up to 15 months apart, so this compares each company's most recent filing rather than the same twelve months. BT, Virgin Media O2, TalkTalk, Community Fibre and CityFibre file group accounts that include subsidiaries; EE, Vodafone, Sky and Hyperoptic file for a single company, which flatters the groups on size.
Accounts compared: BT to Mar 2026 · EE to Mar 2026 · Vodafone to Mar 2025 · Virgin Media O2 to Dec 2025 · Sky to Dec 2024 · TalkTalk to Feb 2025 · Hyperoptic to Dec 2024 · Community Fibre to Dec 2025 · CityFibre to Dec 2024
The Numbers
| # | Company | Turnover | Change | Pre-tax profit | Margin | Employees | Pay per head | Turnover per head | Net assets | Bank and cash | Accounts to | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BTBritish Telecommunications Limited | £19,654m | -3.5% | £2,084m | 10.6% | n/d | n/d | n/d | £24,990m | £352m | Mar 2026 | Group |
| 2 | SkySky UK Limited | £10,396m | +1.6% | £253m | 2.4% | 10,179 | £85,000 | £1.0m | £5,834m | £181m | Dec 2024 | Single company |
| 3 | Virgin Media O2Vmed O2 UK Limited | £10,113m | -5.3% | -£1,754m | -17.3% | 17,058 | £72,000 | £593,000 | £10,923m | £574m | Dec 2025 | Group |
| 4 | EEEe Limited | £6,848m | -2.9% | £1,835m | 26.8% | 16,843 | £41,000 | £407,000 | £9,279m | £27m | Mar 2026 | Single company |
| 5 | VodafoneVodafone Limited | £5,852m | +0.6% | £112m | 1.9% | 9,199 | £75,000 | £636,000 | £6,339m | £15m | Mar 2025 | Single company |
| 6 | TalkTalkTalkTalk Telecom Group Limited | £1,412m | -4.1% | -£465m | -32.9% | 1,570 | £75,000 | £899,000 | -£459m | £67m | Feb 2025 | Group |
| 7 | CityFibreCityFibre Infrastructure Holdings Limited | £134m | +34.3% | -£360m | -269.3% | 1,594 | £89,000 | £84,000 | £538m | £85m | Dec 2024 | Group |
| 8 | HyperopticHyperoptic Ltd | £114m | +21.7% | -£144m | -127.0% | 1,724 | £22,000 | £66,000 | -£311m | £12m | Dec 2024 | Single company |
| 9 | Community FibreCommunity Fibre Limited | £112m | +47.9% | -£87m | -77.5% | 556 | £38,000 | £202,000 | -£115m | £7m | Dec 2025 | Group |
Ranked by turnover. Click any column to sort. The leader on each measure is highlighted. Movements are against each company's own prior year. Pre-tax profit is filed except where marked (est.).
Category winners
The Takeaway
- EE converts the most of its turnover. Of every £100, £26.80 reaches pre-tax profit, against a loss of £269.28 at CityFibre.
- BT is the largest on the top line, £19,654m of turnover, 1.9x Sky's £10,396m.
- Community Fibre is growing fastest, turnover +47.9% on its own prior year. BT, EE, Virgin Media O2 and TalkTalk went backwards.
- Virgin Media O2 is the biggest employer with 17,058 people; CityFibre pays the most per head, an average staff cost of about £89,000.
- BT has the largest balance sheet, net assets of £24,990m, while Virgin Media O2 holds the most cash at £574m.
Who keeps the most of every £100 of sales?
EE keeps the most: £26.80 of every £100 of turnover becomes pre-tax profit. CityFibre does worst, losing £269.28.
Financing bites hardest at CityFibre: £208.47 of every £100 goes on interest.
Every profit figure here is the one the company filed.
The chart splits each company's turnover into £100: what goes on people, on interest and on everything else, and what is left as profit.
Out of every £100 of turnover
Each bar is £100 of that company's own turnover, so companies of any size compare on one scale; the figures are pounds out of each £100, not millions. Companies run from the best margin to the worst. Payroll is staff costs, financing is interest paid, other running costs are everything else, and profit is pre-tax profit, filed or estimated as marked in the table. A loss is not an extra cost: it is the part of the costs that runs past the £100 line, marked with a red bracket. Where the bracket ends in an arrow, the costs run beyond £200 and are cut off there; the figure beside it is the real one. Hover over any segment for its figure.
Who is the biggest, and does the comparison hold?
By turnover the order is BT (£19,654m), Sky (£10,396m), Virgin Media O2 (£10,113m), EE (£6,848m), Vodafone (£5,852m), TalkTalk (£1,412m), CityFibre (£134m), Hyperoptic (£114m), Community Fibre (£112m).
By headcount, Virgin Media O2 leads with 17,058 employees.
The comparison holds with the dates stated plainly: BT to Mar 2026, EE to Mar 2026, Vodafone to Mar 2025, Virgin Media O2 to Dec 2025, Sky to Dec 2024, TalkTalk to Feb 2025, Hyperoptic to Dec 2024, Community Fibre to Dec 2025, CityFibre to Dec 2024. The bases differ: group accounts include the businesses a company owns, single-company accounts do not.
Turnover on the latest filing
Who is growing fastest?
Community Fibre grew fastest, turnover +47.9% on its own prior year, ahead of CityFibre (+34.3%), Hyperoptic (+21.7%), Sky (+1.6%), Vodafone (+0.6%), EE (-2.9%), BT (-3.5%), TalkTalk (-4.1%), Virgin Media O2 (-5.3%).
Turnover change on each company's own prior year
Who employs the most, who pays the most, and who brings in the most per head?
Virgin Media O2 employs the most, 17,058 people, against 16,843 at EE.
CityFibre has the highest average staff cost, about £89,000 a head; Hyperoptic the lowest, about £22,000.
Sky brings in the most turnover per employee, about £1.0m, against £66,000 at Hyperoptic. It says as much about the business model as the workforce: a marketplace or a wholesaler needs far fewer people per pound than a restaurant or a gym.
BT
n/d
employees
EE
16,843
employees, about £41,000 pay a head, £407,000 turnover a head, -0.6% on the year
Vodafone
9,199
employees, about £75,000 pay a head, £636,000 turnover a head, -2.4% on the year
Virgin Media O2
17,058
employees, about £72,000 pay a head, £593,000 turnover a head, +7.1% on the year
Sky
10,179
employees, about £85,000 pay a head, £1.0m turnover a head, +1.4% on the year
TalkTalk
1,570
employees, about £75,000 pay a head, £899,000 turnover a head, -15.5% on the year
Hyperoptic
1,724
employees, about £22,000 pay a head, £66,000 turnover a head, -11.3% on the year
Community Fibre
556
employees, about £38,000 pay a head, £202,000 turnover a head, -24.6% on the year
CityFibre
1,594
employees, about £89,000 pay a head, £84,000 turnover a head, -15.0% on the year
Who owns each one?
Ownership as recorded on the Companies House register of people with significant control, in the bands the register uses.
Held by Bt Group Investments Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 24 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns BT →
Ee Limited · 02382161Held by Ee Group Investments Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 22 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns EE →
Vodafone Limited · 01471587Held by Vodafonethree Holdings Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control.
Who owns Vodafone →
Vmed O2 UK Limited · 12580944Held by Liberty Global Europe 2 Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 1 outstanding charge on the register.
Who owns Virgin Media O2 →
Sky UK Limited · 02906991Held by Sky Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 4 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns Sky →
TalkTalk Telecom Group Limited · 07105891Held by Talktalk Finco 2 Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 8 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns TalkTalk →
Hyperoptic Ltd · 07222543Held by Jhw Bidco Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 1 outstanding charge on the register.
Who owns Hyperoptic →
Community Fibre Limited · 07413288Held by Jeffrey David Perlman
An individual recorded as a person with significant control. 1 outstanding charge on the register.
Who owns Community Fibre →
CityFibre Infrastructure Holdings Limited · 08772997Held by Cityfibre Holdco Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 2 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns CityFibre →
What does the full ledger show?
| Measure | BT | EE | Vodafone | Virgin Media O2 | Sky | TalkTalk | Hyperoptic | Community Fibre | CityFibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered name | BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED | EE LIMITED | VODAFONE LIMITED | VMED O2 UK LIMITED | SKY UK LIMITED | TALKTALK TELECOM GROUP LIMITED | HYPEROPTIC LTD | COMMUNITY FIBRE LIMITED | CITYFIBRE INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDINGS LIMITED |
| Company number | 01800000 | 02382161 | 01471587 | 12580944 | 02906991 | 07105891 | 07222543 | 07413288 | 08772997 |
| Incorporated | 1984 | 1989 | 1980 | 2020 | 1994 | 2009 | 2010 | 2010 | 2013 |
| Accounts filed | 26 June 2026 | 25 July 2026 | 31 December 2025 | 4 May 2026 | 1 October 2025 | 5 August 2025 | 7 October 2025 | 6 July 2026 | 7 October 2025 |
| Turnover, prior year | £20,358m | £7,052m | £5,816m | £10,681m | £10,232m | £1,472m | £93m | £76m | £100m |
| Pre-tax profit, prior year | £2,061m | £1,428m | £44m | £2m | -£773m | -£127m | -£142m | -£119m | -£316m |
| Staff costs | £4,540m | £684m | £689m | £1,235m | £864m | £118m | £38m | £21m | £142m |
| Payroll share of turnover | 23.1% | 10.0% | 11.8% | 12.2% | 8.3% | 8.4% | 33.6% | 18.9% | 106.1% |
| Employees, prior year | 91 | 16,939 | 9,424 | 15,932 | 10,036 | 1,857 | 1,943 | 737 | 1,876 |
| Dividends paid | £1,500m | £1,000m | n/d | £483m | n/d | n/d | n/d | n/d | n/d |
| Charges outstanding | 24 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d; a zero in a filing is treated as not disclosed. Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, above that to the nearest million.
Broadband and mobile: common questions
Who is the biggest of BT, EE, Vodafone, Virgin Media O2, Sky, TalkTalk, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre or CityFibre?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m in the year to March 2026.
Which makes the most profit?
BT: £2,084m pre-tax in the year to March 2026.
Which employs the most people?
Virgin Media O2, with 17,058 employees in its latest accounts.
BT or EE: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £6,848m at EE on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
BT or Vodafone: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £5,852m at Vodafone on their latest filings. On margin, BT keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
BT or Virgin Media O2: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £10,113m at Virgin Media O2 on their latest filings. On margin, BT keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
BT or Sky: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £10,396m at Sky on their latest filings. On margin, BT keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →
BT or TalkTalk: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £1,412m at TalkTalk on their latest filings. On margin, BT keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
BT or Hyperoptic: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £114m at Hyperoptic on their latest filings. On margin, BT keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
BT or Community Fibre: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, BT keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
BT or CityFibre: which is bigger?
BT, with turnover of £19,654m against £134m at CityFibre on their latest filings. On margin, BT keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
EE or Vodafone: which is bigger?
EE, with turnover of £6,848m against £5,852m at Vodafone on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
EE or Virgin Media O2: which is bigger?
Virgin Media O2, with turnover of £10,113m against £6,848m at EE on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
EE or Sky: which is bigger?
Sky, with turnover of £10,396m against £6,848m at EE on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
EE or TalkTalk: which is bigger?
EE, with turnover of £6,848m against £1,412m at TalkTalk on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
EE or Hyperoptic: which is bigger?
EE, with turnover of £6,848m against £114m at Hyperoptic on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
EE or Community Fibre: which is bigger?
EE, with turnover of £6,848m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
EE or CityFibre: which is bigger?
EE, with turnover of £6,848m against £134m at CityFibre on their latest filings. On margin, EE keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Vodafone or Virgin Media O2: which is bigger?
Virgin Media O2, with turnover of £10,113m against £5,852m at Vodafone on their latest filings. On margin, Vodafone keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Vodafone or Sky: which is bigger?
Sky, with turnover of £10,396m against £5,852m at Vodafone on their latest filings. On margin, Sky keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Vodafone or TalkTalk: which is bigger?
Vodafone, with turnover of £5,852m against £1,412m at TalkTalk on their latest filings. On margin, Vodafone keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Vodafone or Hyperoptic: which is bigger?
Vodafone, with turnover of £5,852m against £114m at Hyperoptic on their latest filings. On margin, Vodafone keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Vodafone or Community Fibre: which is bigger?
Vodafone, with turnover of £5,852m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, Vodafone keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Vodafone or CityFibre: which is bigger?
Vodafone, with turnover of £5,852m against £134m at CityFibre on their latest filings. On margin, Vodafone keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Virgin Media O2 or Sky: which is bigger?
Sky, with turnover of £10,396m against £10,113m at Virgin Media O2 on their latest filings. On margin, Sky keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Virgin Media O2 or TalkTalk: which is bigger?
Virgin Media O2, with turnover of £10,113m against £1,412m at TalkTalk on their latest filings. On margin, Virgin Media O2 keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Virgin Media O2 or Hyperoptic: which is bigger?
Virgin Media O2, with turnover of £10,113m against £114m at Hyperoptic on their latest filings. On margin, Virgin Media O2 keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Virgin Media O2 or Community Fibre: which is bigger?
Virgin Media O2, with turnover of £10,113m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, Virgin Media O2 keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Virgin Media O2 or CityFibre: which is bigger?
Virgin Media O2, with turnover of £10,113m against £134m at CityFibre on their latest filings. On margin, Virgin Media O2 keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Sky or TalkTalk: which is bigger?
Sky, with turnover of £10,396m against £1,412m at TalkTalk on their latest filings. On margin, Sky keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Sky or Hyperoptic: which is bigger?
Sky, with turnover of £10,396m against £114m at Hyperoptic on their latest filings. On margin, Sky keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Sky or Community Fibre: which is bigger?
Sky, with turnover of £10,396m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, Sky keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Sky or CityFibre: which is bigger?
Sky, with turnover of £10,396m against £134m at CityFibre on their latest filings. On margin, Sky keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
TalkTalk or Hyperoptic: which is bigger?
TalkTalk, with turnover of £1,412m against £114m at Hyperoptic on their latest filings. On margin, TalkTalk keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
TalkTalk or Community Fibre: which is bigger?
TalkTalk, with turnover of £1,412m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, TalkTalk keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
TalkTalk or CityFibre: which is bigger?
TalkTalk, with turnover of £1,412m against £134m at CityFibre on their latest filings. On margin, TalkTalk keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Hyperoptic or Community Fibre: which is bigger?
Hyperoptic, with turnover of £114m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, Community Fibre keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Hyperoptic or CityFibre: which is bigger?
CityFibre, with turnover of £134m against £114m at Hyperoptic on their latest filings. On margin, Hyperoptic keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Community Fibre or CityFibre: which is bigger?
CityFibre, with turnover of £134m against £112m at Community Fibre on their latest filings. On margin, Community Fibre keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.
Where do these figures come from?
Each company's latest accounts filed at Companies House. Each links to its full Spark Intel profile, which names the filing it comes from.
Related
BT v Sky: which is bigger on the accounts?
VS Series FINANCEChallenger banks
The upstarts came for the high street. Not all of them are banking the win.
Monzo · Starling Bank · Revolut · Zopa · Atom Bank · OakNorth
6 companies compared →
ENERGYEnergy suppliers
Full power, or running on empty?
British Gas · Octopus Energy · OVO Energy
3 companies compared →
AIUK AI companies
Some algorithms win. Some need a reboot.
Google DeepMind · Synthesia · Stability AI · Graphcore · Darktrace · Quantexa · Faculty · Tractable · PolyAI · Luminance · Cleo · Oxa
12 companies compared →
UTILITIESWater companies
In the flow, or in deep water?
Thames Water · Severn Trent · United Utilities · Anglian Water · Yorkshire Water · Southern Water · Wessex Water · South West Water · Welsh Water · Northumbrian Water
10 companies compared →