Two in three Brits complain over slow mobile broadband speeds

People who may like to consider mobile broadband as a replacement for fixed broadband connection had better go through the results of the research conducted by YouGov and Acision.

According to the survey, slow speeds accounted for the most number of complaints (67%). Nearly, half of the respondents (49%) complained over poor network coverage.More than a third said they had problems related to connectivity which is the indicator that 3G mobile networks in the UK lack capacity.

Among the surveyed, 45 % could not connect to mobile network on their devices, when they wanted to, while around 40% have reported connection loss when they were surfing the net, largely due to the signal problems and network congestion.

The study has also showed that mobile broadband seems to fail, when it comes to accessing video sites. More than half (55%) experienced problems related to buffering while watching videos on their mobile devices. Over-all, around 63% of the users reported frequent pauses when watching video contents.

Over-all, 84% of the Brits have reported connectivity issues with their mobile broadband services.

According to Steven van Zanen, senior vice president marketing, mobile broadband, at Acision, 5% of the mobile broadband subscribers account for 80 per cent of broadband traffic, causing slow download speeds and connection problems for all users.

“The first one is defining fairness. When asked about the contentious issue of fair usage policies, 56% of research respondents were not aware if their operator had a fair usage policy in place” he said.

The report also showed that 74% of the questioned are in favour of establishing a fairness standard in usage to prevent network congestion. Half of the UK mobile broadband users (49%) are ready to pay more ( a small fee, though) to get better connecitivity and service, the study has revealed.

Mobile broadband users have changed their browsing habits, with more focus on video and downloading data than simple web browsing, according to Marek Vaygelt, head of consumer, technology and telecoms consulting, YouGov.

The recent study from Acision warns that many consumers can be frustrated with the service they receive, if they continue to have these regular and significant problems with their mobile broadband services.

Hopefully, the survey also shows that many customers would offer their support to deploy capabilities to define fairness for all users, content adaptation and service differentiation.

Mobile internet service providers can improve customer satisfaction levels by asserting control over mobile data and by providing better education on available packages, Steven van Zanen has suggested.

He also points out that the service providers had to go for data capping and ‘new transparent pricing models’ such as announced by the UK mobile operator O2 recently, due to the high operating costs.

“It is clear we have reached a juncture in the future of mobile broadband services. The cost of offering high-quality mobile broadband at flat fees is becoming increasingly difficult for operators and making it hard for them to recoup investments and operating costs,” he added.