Orange and Virgin take Power plaudits

While the rest take home 'Could do better' report cards

The latest survey of customer satisfaction among mobile phone users has found that Orange and Virgin Mobile are the best-loved operators in the UK.

The annual survey, carried out by JD Power and Associates, found Orange generated the most customer satisfaction among contract users, while Virgin Mobile was most liked among pre-pay customers. Mobile giant Vodafone, which announced its full-year financial results today, came second in both categories.

According to JD Power and Associates, Orange won the hearts of UK phone users with its image, customer service and billing, while virtual network operator Virgin scored top marks for cost and customer service.

T-Mobile, however, fared less well in the popularity contest, coming below the industry average for both its pre- and post-pay offerings.

The eighth survey into customer satisfaction found that, in general, mobile users are more pleased with their service providers right across the board - the only area where satisfaction failed to increase among UK consumers was with their handsets.