Nokia Lumia sales spearhead boom in Brits' Windows Phone interest

Google Android sales stutter as new user base lulls

Windows Phone share of the smartphone market has grown by three percent in Great Britain over the last quarter thanks to strong interest in Nokia's affordable 520 and 620 Lumia smartphones, according to Kantar Worldpanel.

Kantar Worldpanel revealed the growth in its latest ComTech report. The report showed that Windows Phone boasted its highest ever sales in Great Britain for the three months to August 2013, account for 12 percent of all smartphones sold during the period. The figure is a notable 7.5 percent year-on-year increase.

The growth in Great Britain was part of a wider increase in Windows Phone use across Europe, with Kantar listing it as having a 9.2 percent share across the five major European markets (Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain). The high figure puts it just one percent behind Apple's iOS in Germany.

Strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Dominic Sunnebo attributed the success to high interest in Nokia's affordable Lumia smartphones.

"Windows Phone's latest wave of growth is being driven by Nokia's expansion into the low and mid-range market with the Lumia 520 and 620 handsets. These models are hitting the sweet spot with 16 to 24-year-olds and 35 to 49-year-olds, two key groups that look for a balance of price and functionality in their smartphone," he said.

The news cements Windows Phone's lead as the current third mobile ecosystem, with former heavyweight BlackBerry suffering a 0.4 percent quarterly drop, accounting for 3.7 percent of all GB sales. The figure demonstrates a 6.4 percent drop in year-on-year sales.

Above the two Android remained the most used ecosystem, with 56.3 percent of all GB smartphone sales. Despite still holding the monopoly the figure demonstrates a modest 0.1 percent quarterly increase and disappointing 6.4 percent yearly drop.

In second place Apple iOS suffered a three percent drop in market share, speaking for a still solid 27.5 percent of all smartphones sold. Despite the drop, the figure still represents a 6.1 percent yearly increase in iOS' market share.

Sunnebo said Android's lull in performance will continue until its begins more seriously targeting emerging smartphone markets.

"After years of increasing market share, Android has now reached a point where significant growth in developed markets is becoming harder to find. Android's growth has been spearheaded by Samsung, but the manufacturer is now seeing its share of sales across the major European economies dip year-on-year as a sustained comeback from Sony, Nokia and LG begins to broaden the competitive landscape," he said.

The figures follow a turbulent period within the smartphone industry, with both Nokia and BlackBerry announcing deals to be bought. Nokia announced it had agreed to sell its mobile division to Microsoft for €3.79bn at the start of September. Mere weeks late BlackBerry confirmed it has agreed to be bought by Fairfax Financial Holdings for $4.7bn.