Gomez, Inc. commissioned an online survey (n=1,001 mobile Web users) to determine satisfaction levels with mobile Internet experiences. The survey ran from September 16 – 21, 2009 and the data are reportedly weighted to match the US Census. The big takeaways are as follows:

• 60% of users have experienced slow mobile Web sites, those that render poorly or where some element of the experience is broken (e.g., video)
• This negative experience can affect brand perception and cause defections to competitor sites
• Users would access the mobile Internet more frequently if performance was better 

Here are a couple of representative graphics from the report:

What we don't see from the report is segmentation by device. My guess is that those with an iPhone or another high-end smartphone might have a somewhat different perception and might be somewhat more satisfied -- although the questions sweep broadly and would likely capture a "yes" response from iPhone and other smartphone users as well:

"Within the last 12 months have you encountered a problem when accessing a website from your mobile phone?"

These findings potentially raise an issue for publishers: which devices should they optimze for or focus on? Many of the folks responding to this survey (probably 75% to 85%) have conventional "feature phones," where the mobile Web experience is going to be mediocre at the very best. Do publishers simply wait for these people to upgrade to smartphones or do they try and build an experience that renders for lower-end users? 

Yes, would be the answer if one could do everything.