Android will dominate the smartphone market as shipments hit 1.7 billion units by 2017, according to analyst firm Ovum.

The Google platform will be the dominant smartphone operating system as more device makers make it their primary smartphone platform. Android’s market share will hit 48 percent by 2017 compared to 44 percent in 2011, after experiencing CAGR of 26.8 percent.

“While Apple has defined the smartphone market since it introduced the iPhone in 2007, we’re now seeing a sharp rise in the shipment volumes of Android, signalling its appeal to leading handset manufacturers,” said Ovum principal analyst Adam Leach.

Apple’s iOS will be the second most widespread smartphone OS in 2017, with 27 percent of the market compared to 23 percent in 2011.

Leach expects Windows Phone to become a “relevant smartphone platform” by 2017, despite its slow start. Ovum forecasts that Windows Phone will account for 13 percent of the smartphone market by 2017 due to the boost provided by Nokia using the platform.

The analyst firm also believes that RIM’s BlackBerry platform will still account for 10 percent of the market in 2017, despite losing market share in since 2009.

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of smartphone shipments between 2011 and 2017 is forecast at 24.9 percent, outperforming the mobile phone market as a whole, which is forecast to see 6.3 percent CAGR during the same period.

The majority of shipments in North America and Western Europe will be smartphones while feature phones will continue to play a small role in emerging markets by 2017.