Vasona Networks, Inc. conducted a survey of one thousand U.S. smartphone with data plans for their smartphones. According to the survey, which was conducted between August 14 and August 19, many users felt that network operators should be providing hassle-free access, without any flaws or loss of signal.

The people surveyed felt that when a problem arose while using an app, it was, most likely, the fault of the network provider, rather than the fault of the app developer. The survey showed that users felt that network providers should focus on making the data service near perfect, in order to make customers happy.

A large number of the users who took the survey—64 percent—felt that it is a reasonable expectation that network providers should have good service all of the time. This figure leaves the remaining 36 percent of survey-takers in the category that in unperturbed by occasional glitches in the system, even if that meant losing their signals or having the system down for periods of time. 

When a problem does arise, service providers are the first to catch the blame—40 percent of the time. The app developer is second in line at 39 percent, leaving just 21 percent of the blame for flaws directed at the mobile device.

In the scheme of the importance of data service to providers, more than half—55 percent—of the people surveyed said that the price of the data plan was important when choosing a network provider. 29 percent felt performance is the best reason to choose a provider, while 16 percent said that a variety of devices is the best reason to choose a provider. 

John Reister, the vice president of marketing and product management for Vasona Networks, says that as mobile data performance becomes “increasingly important,” this survey reveals “just how high a bar subscribers are setting for their service providers.” The findings, he says, are significant, indicating that “it is no longer sufficient for mobile operators to offer a good experience most of the time across most of their network. Today, if every cell isn't delivering great performance, subscribers are being let down.”