Data & Research

Symbian on top in Spain as Nokia backed OS takes 65% smartphone share

Platform holds mammoth lead over rivals

Symbian on top in Spain as Nokia backed OS takes 65% smartphone share
Given the North American perspective of much of the mobile press, it's easy to assume that Finnish giant Nokia is a spent force, given the lack of presence the manufacturer has in the region.

There are territories in Europe, however, where Nokia and its associated OS Symbian is still the one to beat, as proven by statistics released by Nielsen that hand it a 56 percentage point lead over both iOS and Android.

Super Symbian

Based on said stats, which conclude that more than 39 percent of all mobile Spaniards now own smartphones, Symbian holds a 65 percent share of the Spanish smartphone market.

That puts it well ahead of its closest rivals iOS and Android, which both hold a 9 percent share each.



"Apple's iOS and Google’s Android operating systems are both tied with 9 percent, though Android seems to be growing its share more quickly, with a 7 point gain since the last quarter compared to the 3 percentage point increase seen by iOS," Nielsen states on its blog, also noting a 9 percent decline for Symbian since Q4 2010.

Still, during a period where bad news about Nokia is hardly hard to find, such reports will be valued by the firm as it nears the adoption of Windows Phone in 2012.

Indeed, though Microsoft currently holds just 6 percent of the smartphone market in Spain, that's a share that could leap dramatically if existing Nokia customers stay loyal to the brand when they upgrade their handsets in the coming years.

[source: Nielsen]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.