Revenue for Android beats iPhone on ad network

Revenue from mobile ads for Android outstripped that for the iPhone for the first time on Millennial Mobile's ad network in September.

For its September Mobile Mix report, the mobile ad network, which hosts ads on the popular smartphone platforms, found that ad requests (the number of times a mobile ad is clicked on) on Android phones rose 26 percent from August and have jumped 1,283 percent since January. In July, Android pulled ahead to become the second largest mobile OS tracked by Millienial and now grabs 29 percent of all ad impressions (the number of mobile ads that are displayed).

Despite Android's phenomenal growth, Apple remains in the driver's seat on the ad network. The iPhone OS still holds 46 percent of all ad impressions. The iPad has also been a major contender in terms of quarterly growth. For the third quarter, Apple's popular tablet saw its ad impressions jump 156 percent from the prior quarter, with a resulting increase in revenue of 316 percent over the same period.

Though still in third place, Research In Motion watched its ad requests rise 16 percent in September over the prior month and 143 percent since January.

The results follow the trend found in Millennial's August report, which showed a surge in growth for Android and the iPad.

In terms of the actual smartphone manufacturers, Apple stayed on top with a 30 percent share of ad impressions in September. Motorola surged past Samsung as the second largest device maker on Millennial's network, thanks in large part to the success of its Motorola Droid. Smartphones from RIM also accounted for five of the top 20 mobile phones, with the BlackBerry Curve holding onto its number 3 spot for the second consecutive month.

Overall, smartphones continue to grow in adoption, now capturing 58 percent of all ad impressions on Millennial's network, a 7 percent gain from last month, compared with only 29 percent for feature phones, a drop of 4 percent since August.