Apple’s iPhone has captured almost 30 per cent of the European mobile handset market, according to figures from InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile ad network.

The company has released its updated network research report, closing the year with a snapshot of mobile advertising trends in Europe between July and October 2010. It should be noted, however, that these figures are based on the devices to which ads on InMobi’s ad network are served, so may not be fully representative of market share based on handset shipments.  

The research reveals that the European market grew by 88 per cent in only 90 days, driven by huge increases in Android OS monthly ad impressions (up 256m) and iPhone OS impressions (up 260m) in Europe.

iPhone OS picked up 9.7 share points and is now the dominant OS in Europe with a 31.9 per cent  share. Android OS, nascent in the market until just this past quarter, is positioned well to compete with Apple having gained 9.5 share points to finish with a 12.9 per cent share. Nokia, the market leader historically in all things mobile, is now a distant second at 19.7 per cent, having lost six share points in the past 90 days.

The iPhone is the single biggest mobile ad device in Europe with a 29.4 per cent share of the market. By contrast, the next largest device, Google’s Nexus One, is only 2.5 per cent of the mobile ad market. Four of the top 11 devices in Europe are Android devices from four different manufacturers – Motorola, Samsung, HTC, and Google. Together, these for account for an 8.1 per cent share of the market.
“The rapid decline of Nokia is a major inflection point for the European mobile advertising community,” notes James Lamberti, VP of global research & marketing at InMobi. “iPhone and Android devices trigger major increases in mobile Internet consumption and drive rapid share gains against Nokia, well beyond what shipments data would suggest.”

Rob Jonas, VP, managing director, Europe and Middle East for InMobi, believes the stage is now set for the next level of mobile advertising industry growth in Europe, with consumers now adopting powerful iPhone and Android devices at scale throughout the region.

“It will be interesting to see how two radically different business models, Apple with its closed OS and device set, versus Google with its open Android platform and multiple manufacturer approach, will compete in market,” says Jonas. “ Regardless of the outcome, consumers and advertisers in Europe will win, with better mobile devices leading to a better advertising experience for everyone.”

InMobi’s display mobile advertising platform reaching tens of millions of European consumers. The company says it is committed to providing the mobile industry with a data-driven, distinctly European consumer perspective on the state of mobile advertising. This includes a focus on all European regions, including the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia and CIS, Nordics, and dozens of other European countries.

A full download of the data and analysis is available here.