After years of hard work, Microsoft's Windows Phone push seems to be slowly paying off, as the platform is inching its way up on the market share ladder worldwide. The platform has managed to more than triple its market share year over year, which could possibly mean problems for Android and iOS in the years to come.

According to the latest IDC report, Windows Phone has officially unseated BlackBerry from the third spot worldwide with 7 million devices sold in the first quarter of 2013, which gives the platform a 3.2 percent share. BlackBerry could only manage to muster 6.3 million and 2.9 percent share of the market despite the newly arrived BlackBerry Z10.

Android continues its massive growth with 75 percent share, while iOS slipped from 23 percent global market share to 17.3 percent share.

"Underpinning the worldwide smartphone market is the constantly shifting operating system landscape," noted Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "Android and iOS accounted for more than the lion's share of smartphones in the first quarter, but a closer examination of the other platforms reveals turnaround and demand for alternatives. Windows Phone has benefited from Nokia's participation, and BlackBerry's new BB10 devices have already hit a million units shipped in its first quarter of availability."

"Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alterative to Android or iOS."

With Nokia onboard, the Windows Phone platform could potentially rise to the occasion and challenge both Android and iOS. However, this could happen much faster if Microsoft had another partner that puts as much time into the Windows Phone platform as Nokia.

In a year from now, we shall see if Windows Phone growth is just a fluke, or if it is something that is capable of continuing for years to come.

Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 1Q 2013 (Units in Millions)