Nokia Windows Phones Gaining Popularity in Europe, but Not in the U.S.

While not finding much success in the U.S., the Windows Phone 7 platform is beginning to gain traction overseas. Microsoft's mobile operating system saw its market share increase five-fold in the U.K. over the last three months, providing hope to its chief handset partner, Nokia, who bet big last year by making the gradual move to Windows Phone software.

Market research firm Kantar found that, for the first time ever, Windows Phone 7 handsets are selling better than those powered by Nokia's older mobile platform, Symbian, which is gradually being phased out. Symbian accounted for just 2.4 percent of overall U.K. market share for the three months ending in mid-February, down from 12.4 percent a year ago, according to Reuters.

The strong growth of Windows-powered phones in the U.K. coincide with the launch of Nokia's latest smartphone, the Lumia 800, which accounted for an astounding 87 percent of all Windows phones sold during the three month stretch.

“There are strong signs that WP7 Nokia handsets are starting to make an impact on the European smartphone market though U.S. sales, where the Nokia brand is weaker, remain underwhelming,” Kantar analyst Dominic Sunnebo noted in a statement obtained by Reuters.

“The fact that WP7 sales have overtaken Symbian based on one handset is encouraging; however, Nokia will need to expand the range quickly in order to keep up with the slew of next generation competitor products being launched in quarter two,” he added.

Nokia took a huge gamble last year when it decided to ditch its own operating system for Microsoft's more advanced platform. The integration took months to occur, leaving Nokia enthusiasts with good reason to try out an alternative vendor.

With Symbian's days numbered, Android and Apple increased their market share in the U.K. to 48.5 percent and 28.7 percent respectively. Nokia now needs to hope that its Windows-powered handsets provide enough reason for consumers to switch back.

As Sunnebo mentioned, Windows phones are not nearly as attractive to U.S. consumers. Microsoft's domestic market share fell to 1.6 percent in the latest study, down from 3.5 percent in 2011.