Nokia was the top performing mobile OS in InMobi’s mobile ad network for the quarter ending July 2011, with a 19.6 per cent share of the available impressions, but it lost 1.3 percentage points during the period. Symbian was in second place on 19 per cent, compared to 19.1 per cent in the previous quarter. Android put on 1.9 percentage points to finish in third place on 16.6 per cent.

The figures come from InMobi’s Mobile Insights Report: Global Edition, Quarter Ending July 2011, which is part of an ongoing series to analyse quarterly data trends on InMobi’s network. The report projects that Android will be the top global mobile ad platform by the end of the year. 

InMobi served 112.5bn mobile advertising impressions across the globe, a growth of 22 per cent over the previous quarter, with smartphone growth the primary driver, outpacing the growth rate of feature phone ads by two to one. 

The report also highlights the strong growth in the European mobile ad market, which grew by 20 per cent  to reach 11.5bn ads during the quarter. It reveals that 26 per cent of all mobile ads in Europe are now on a native mobile app, one and a half times the global average of 17.5 per cent, and that Android remains the number one mobile ad platform in the region, continuing to outgrow iOS by two to one. Despite the growth in Android’s popularity however, the iPhone remains the top device in Europe, with an 11.5 per cent  share, while the Apple iPad gained 1 share point to represent 2.1 per cent of all ads in the region.

“Given Android’s ongoing growth around the globe, it’s not surprising to see Google announce its strategic move to acquire Motorola Mobility,” says James Lamberti, VP global research & marketing at InMobi. “At the current growth trends, Android is expected to become the top mobile platform in the ad ecosystem by the end of the year and Google is clearly protecting it from competitive threats with the IP assets of Motorola Mobility.”

You can download the latest InMobi Mobile Insights Report for free here.