Technology and data consumption are evolving faster than business infrastructure and mobile networks are able to adapt, it has been claimed.
According to mobility services provider iPass, employees are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with network performance – which is hampering their ability to work effectively.
The firm reported that satisfaction in mobile services has fallen from 87 per cent last year to just 63 per cent in 2012.
Concerns have been raised over broadband speeds, data coverage, and voice quality and coverage, it added.
Employees are looking to take advantage of mobile working options, iPass noted, but finding that despite its wide availability, IT is sometimes letting them down.
The firm reported that the number of devices carried for work has grown from 2.7 to 3.5 per employee, with many professionals carrying a laptop, smartphone and tablet.
Business users are now within range of a Wi-Fi network for 61 per cent of their day, meaning mobile working options are continuing to increase.
And employees are seemingly taking advantage, with 83 per cent of survey respondents using wireless broadband services for more than two hours a day.
Some 73 per cent of tablet users said the same, along with 58 per cent of smartphone owners.
But with more employees seeking to work on the move, the demands placed on under-pressure networks are only set to increase.
“Mobile employees are seeing a significant reduction in service levels due to the rapid rise of data consumption,” said Barbara Nelson, chief technology officer at iPass.
“An enterprise’s adaptation strategy should include investing in better management tools to monitor usage, upgrading infrastructure to address the new capacity requirements, licensing outside network services and requiring employees to use inexpensive and secure Wi-Fi connections when possible.”
