New research from Strategy Analytics suggests that the Windows Phone operating system could have a very good 2012.

The forecasts predict that Microsoft's operating system could gain a 12 per cent market share in Western Europe in 2012, which is double what they had in 2011.  It's also reported that 14.4 million Windows smartphones will be bought in 2012,  up from 6.1 million in 2011.

If these figures prove correct then the Windows Phone operating system will be the fastest growing mobile operating system in the world. Overall smartphone sales are also expected to rise from 105 million in 2011 to 117 million in 2012.

The reason for the growth is due to  increased support from manufacturers , in particular Nokia who have just unveiled the Lumia 800 and 710 , which are the first mobiles launched by the Finnish giant to run Microsoft's OS. HTC are also pushing the operating system, as well as many other manufacturers.

Microsoft will be hoping the figures prove correct which would make 2012 a great year for its OS. Nokia will also be hoping they can finally gain back some market share in the smartphone market with its Windows phones. We at 3G have a good feeling about Nokia's new smartphones, but wonder whether they aimed too much at the younger market with the design of the new mobiles.