A new survey has found that mobile data speeds aren’t meeting modern day requirements with 60% of respondents claiming to be unhappy with their smartphone’s mobile internet connection.
The independent survey*, commissioned by TigerMobiles.com, queried 4300 users who have purchased a 3G or 4G ready contract in the last 12 months with at least 1GB of monthly data allowance.
Carried out as part of on-going research into consumers’ expectations and experience of mobile phones the survey reveals that mobile data expectations are not being met with the majority of users experiencing slow or unreliable performance on a regular basis.
Key survey findings include:
• 60% of respondents are overall dissatisfied with the data speed on their smartphone.
• 82% of users expect websites to load as quickly on their smartphone as they do via fixed line broadband.
• However, over half (56%) said websites load more slowly on their smartphone.
• 82% of those surveyed had a problem trying to load a website over a data connection in the last year whilst 79% had difficulty using apps that require a data connection to function properly.
• 85% revealed they would access websites more often from their phone via mobile data if the experience was as fast and reliable.
• 62% think faster mobile data would allow them to get more use out of their smartphone.
Head of Customer Insight at Tiger Mobiles, Brandon Ackroyd had the following to say:
“We conducted this survey after receiving a number of questions in our FAQ centre around mobile data speeds. We had a good idea that many users were unhappy but the survey has proved that smartphone users expect quick and flawless mobile data and that’s not always what they’re getting.”
Ackroyd however believes that there are many variables involved with mobile broadband speeds and urges consumers to research mobile networks coverage in their area before making a purchase. He added:
“The most important factor affecting mobile broadband speed is network coverage and consumers should check with various providers at how good the coverage is likely to be before choosing a network provider.”
“All the major network operators offer online coverage checkers where you can type in postcodes of places you will be using the service (e.g. at home, work or college) and see how good the coverage will be. I’d also recommend asking your friends and neighbours about their phone signal strength to get an idea of what to expect.”
Ackroyd also predicts that although many customers are currently unhappy, mobile data speeds, reliability and coverage are going to improve rapidly.
“I think with 4G coverage continuing to roll out through the UK many customers can look forward to quicker download speeds and overall more reliability. All the major players in this space are aiming to cover as much of the country as possible including rural areas and that’s certainly good news. Whoever gets there first can expect a big chunk of business coming their way.
