WINDOWS PHONE is the UK's fastest growing mobile operating system, according to the latest tally from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, while iOS and BlackBerry both saw an annual decline.

Kantar's figures for December 2015 show that things are looking surprisingly good for Microsoft's mobile performance - in the UK, at least. Windows Phone's market share tumbled across the globe, but enjoyed a 2.3 percent year-on-year jump here in Britain.

The analyst firm doesn't say any more on the matter, but the increase suggests that Microsoft's Lumia 950 and 950 XL have performed well since their release in November. This is contrary to Gartner's view last year, which predicted that the smartphones won't have much of an impact on Microsoft's lowly position in the market.

Microsoft is likely to be pleased with the numbers, but things aren't looking so good for Apple and BlackBerry.

iOS saw its market share slip from 41.7 percent in December 2015 to 38.6 percent in 2015, perhaps unsurprisingly given the small growth that Apple reported in its first-quarter iPhone sales figures on Tuesday.

"In Europe's big five markets, iOS share grew considerably quarter-over-quarter, but sales were not enough to show year-over-year growth," said Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe.

If you thought that was bad, BlackBerry saw its slice of the pie slip to a measly 0.3 percent, down from 0.8 percent this time last year, hinting that its Android-powered BlackBerry Priv smartphone hasn't made much of a dent on the market.

Android is doing well, and saw 1.8 percent growth year on year with a 51.9 percent share of the market. This growth can be credited to Samsung, LG and Huawei, according to Kantar, all of which reported an increase in smartphone sales.

Sunnebo added: "Once again, Android's share was boosted by a strong performance in the more price-conscious markets of Spain and Italy. Android also recorded year-over-year growth in Great Britain for the first time in the course of 2015 as Samsung, LG and Huawei all grew share." µ