While things are not going too well in USA, Windows Phones are seeing good growth in the emerging markets of the world, particularly in Asia, according to Patrick Mercanton, head of marketing for Near-East, North Africa, Levant and Emerging Asia for Microsoft Mobile Devices.

In an interview with The News he noted that sales of Lumia devices in Pakistan tripled in Q1 2015 vs Q4 2014, and that Windows Phones now held the second position ahead of iOS.

“Considering our primary goal is to enhance the growth of the Windows Phone ecosystem through Lumia smartphone activations, it certainly is a great achievement for us and showcases the appetite in Pakistan for a third smartphone ecosystem other than Android and iOS” he said.

He also confirmed that Microsoft Mobile with its Nokia feature phones still held more than half the feature phone market in Pakistan, and expected this would help Microsoft’s Windows Phone business when these users upgraded.

He suggested the tripling of Lumia smartphone activations was a strong indicator that Pakistanis are indeed interested in using another OS and that the introduction of Windows10 with its cross-screens benefits would add momentum to the Windows OS ecosystem overall.

He noted that in the Near-East and North Africa region Windows Phone sales have doubled sales year on year in a number of countries and that the Lumia 535 was a best selling handset in Pakistan in the $100-$150 segment, and in fact the best selling Lumia ever in the region. Microsoft’s next step would be the introduction of the even more affordable Dual-SIM Lumia 430.

He said the Microsoft brand was well received in Pakistan, and that Microsoft with Lumia also hoped to expand into the B2B market.

When asked what differentiated Lumia handsets he noted:

Microsoft Lumia devices offer Nokia’s build quality with the latest Windows OS and interface. Their design is robust, vibrant, colorful, and engineered for optimal efficiency. They simply stand-out in a sea of Android devices. The Tiles interface is unique; and studies have shown that after just a few hours of getting used to the new interface, the wide majority of consumers prefer it.

Read the full interview here.

Thanks Vitor for the tip.