Almost one in five mobile ads served in Europe over the last quarter was delivered to an Apple device, propelling the manufacturer past Nokia to the top spot for the first time. The finding is contained in the latest edition of the Mobile Insights Report: Europe Edition Q2 2011, from mobile ad network, InMobi.

During Q2 2011, InMobi served over 104.9bn mobile ad impressions globally, including 10.8bn in Europe. The global total is 21 per cent up on the previous quarter, driven primarily by smartphone ad impressions, which grew by 31 per cent, and now represent 38 per cent of global mobile ad impressions across InMobi’s network. Three out of every five mobile impressions in Europe are now on a smart device. Among European nations, the UK and Spain showed the fastest growth in Q2.

Over 2bn ad impressions were served on Apple devices in Europe, giving Apple a 19.56 per cent share, an increase of 3.3 percentage points. Over the same period, Nokia devices dropped by 0.9 percentage share points and now represent 18.7 per cent of ads served in the region, with Samsung in third place on 17.5 per cent.

Android remains the most popular OS, with 2.66bn ads served to Android devices, giving it a 24.9 per cent share of total ads served. This is five percentage points down on the previous quarter, however, which iOS gaining 3.3 percentage points to give it a 19.5 per cent share. RIM is in third place on 15.7 per cent, an increase of 6.1 percentage points over the previous quarter.

“The Q2 2011 results show another major inflection point for mobile advertising in Europe,” notes Rob Jonas, InMobi’s VP and MD, Europe and Middle East. “Smart devices, driven by iPad, iPhone, and Android devices, are now defining the mobile experience for the majority of Europeans. The next phase of mobile advertising is upon us. It is now up to brands and agencies to capitalise with immersive, creative experiences delivered at scale for consumers.”

You can download the report for free from the InMobi website.