This is the way it's supposed to work. With the new network structure (with UltraPeers) you do not need to open nearly as many connections to get just as good search results. In fact, you cannot open more than one connection when you become a client peer, meaning that an UltraPeer is acting as a sort of "proxy" for you on the network, shielding you from message traffic, and saving all of your bandwidth for uploads and downloads.

Give it a little time. It's a far more efficient way for the network to run, and I guaruantee that you'll like it better over the long term.