Telecom regulator Ofcom has invited UK’s 20 million Android smartphone users to join its crowd-sourced research project for better mobile phone services.

Mobile users can join a panel of volunteers to gather information about mobile coverage, reliability of voice calls, mobile broadband performance and users’ experiences and habits by downloading the Ofcom Mobile Research app.

The app measures the performance of mobile and Wi-Fi networks in UK. There’s no need for users to manually run any tests. App’s home screen will show the highlights of its findings. The mobile user will be asked to briefly rate how well they feel their service is performing.

Ofcom aims to build an independent benchmark for both consumers and industry. It will help mobile customers make purchasing and switching decisions.

The app will log when another apps are in use to help Ofcom understand usage trends across volunteers. It does not record precisely what other apps are being used for.

All users’ data will be completely anonymised. Ofcom is working with a technical partner on the project – P3 Communications.