In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a computing device and from an application installed on the computing device, a request to establish a network connection to transmit and receive data over a network, wherein the request includes information that indicates one or more parameters identified by the application for the requested network connection and data transmission. The method can further include delaying, by the computing device, establishing the requested network connection until i) an available network connection is identified that satisfies the one or more parameters provided as part of the request, or ii) a time period specified for the request has expired. The method can additionally include, in response to identifying an available network that satisfies the one or more parameters before the time period has expired, establishing the requested network connection for the application using the identified available network.