More than three quarters of mobile broadband users are not satisfied with the speeds provided by their service providers, says Thinkbroadband.com.
Research by the broadband advice website also revealed that 60 percent of users said coverage was 'poor' while only three percent think their coverage is 'excellent'.
Thinkbroadband.com also surveyed users on where they use their mobile broadband connections. Over three quarters of Virgin Media mobile broadband customers said they used their mobile broadband dongle while at home.
Virgin Mobile was closely followed by Orange, with 60 percent of its customers saying they too use their mobile broadband connection mostly at home.
More than half of T-Mobile and Vodafone users said theoir mobile broadband connection was used mostly "on the move".
"The survey results illustrate the coverage problems mobile broadband users can experience, highlighting the need to check coverage in your area on the service providers' websites prior to signing up, and avoid committing to a long term contract unless you know coverage is good-i.e. that you can receive a '3.5G' signal," said Thinkbroadband.com.
"Thinkbroadband.com recommends talking to friends, and maybe trying to borrow a 'dongle' from a friend to check coverage, rather than relying on coverage maps which can vary in quality," the website added.
See also: Consumers to get mobile phone 'try before you buy' period?