Microsoft’s fledgling Windows Phone platform is seeing strong growth in markets including the UK and Italy, although Android remains the dominant smartphone operating system worldwide, according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

Windows Phone has achieved market shares of 5.9 percent in UK and 13.9 percent in Italy, compared with 2.2 percent and 2.8 percent respectively 12 months ago.

However, Kantar noted that the performance of the platform is “underwhelming” in key markets such as China and the US, making these “key challenges for Microsoft to overcome during 2013”.

While Android remains dominant, its rate of growth is slowing, as “easy wins from first-time smartphone buyers” become harder to find.

Apple’s iOS is strong in the US, where it has held half of the market for two consecutive periods, and in Japan, where it holds two-thirds of the “rapidly expanding” smartphone sector.

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech also said that RIM “continues to find trading tough in the run up to the BlackBerry 10 release”, although the BlackBerry 9320 provided something of a boost from Christmas gift buyers.