Nokia Windows Phones Continue to Gain Momentum, Overtake iOS in Italy

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reports that Nokia and Windows Phone continue to gain global momentum reaching 10% of smartphone sales across the five major European markets.

Windows Phone has reportedly overtaken iOS in Italy and is doing well in emerging markets; however, Android remains the dominant operating system in Europe with a 71.9% market share. That’s an increase of 4.2% over last year.

Windows Phone, driven almost entirely by Nokia sales, continues to make rapid progress in Europe and has also shown signs of growth in emerging markets such as Latin America. Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, comments: “With the smartphone market in developed countries so congested, it is emerging economies that now present manufacturers with the best opportunity for growth.

“Nokia dominated in Latin America for many years, and while its popularity declined with the fortunes of Symbian it now has an opportunity to regain the top-spot. The majority of consumers in Latin America still own a Nokia featurephone and upgrading to an entry level Lumia is a logical next step. Price is the main barrier in developing markets and the budget Lumia 520 opens the door to smartphone ownership for many.”

Windows has 11.4% market share in Britain, Android has 58.4% and BlackBerry has dropped to 3.1%. Apple’s iOS has dropped slightly to 27%; however, it will likely increase over the holiday quarter.

“August is traditionally a quiet month for Apple as consumers wait for the release of new models, and strong sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C at the end of September did not manage to make up for the lull. The full impact of the new iPhones will be seen at Christmas when iOS is expected to bounce back strongly in Britain, the US and Australia.”