(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/ByeByeTokyo)
As daily life increasingly depends on constant access to data, consumers expect mobile networks to deliver consistently high performance. A recent survey by Vasona Networks reveals widespread dissatisfaction among UK users with current mobile internet performance.
More than two-thirds of respondents (67%) said they expect “good mobile data performance all of the time, with no temporary hiccups or outages,” highlighting how high consumer expectations are for mobile data services.
Last year, 53% of participants blamed device manufacturers, app developers, or operating system providers when an app failed to work as expected. This year, that sentiment has shifted toward network operators: 53% now hold their mobile operator responsible when apps don’t function properly.
Despite this shift in blame, only 40% of respondents believe switching providers would improve their mobile broadband experience. That suggests frustration is directed at the market as a whole rather than at specific carriers.
When choosing a mobile provider, many consumers still place low priority on the data experience. Just 23% said mobile data performance influences their choice of carrier. At the same time, data consumption is rising: 26% of smartphone users reported upgrading their data plan in the past year.
“Reliable bandwidth is the currency that operators trade in today,” says John Reister, vice president of marketing and product management at Vasona Networks. “Delivering anything less than consistently great experiences introduces competitive threats and increases the risk of customer churn, as our survey data shows. Improving mobile broadband reliability and performance presents a significant opportunity—operators that don’t lead on this will become vulnerable.”
Vasona’s research highlights web page loading speed as the most important area for improvement. Sixty-three percent of respondents identified “web pages loading slowly or not at all” as the single most frustrating issue with mobile broadband.
Improving web performance is a clear way for operators to stand out: only about one-third of participants believe their current provider’s mobile broadband has improved over the past year.
Do you think consumers have unrealistic expectations? Let us know in the comments.