Windows Phone 7, along with the Metro user-interface that it an elemental part of the OS and Microsoft’s broader consumer outlook, are picking up momentum. Telerik recently announced some new development tools for the software, and IDC  just released a new report that seems to concur with the uptick in adoption we’ve been seeing lately.

The research firm expects that Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform will take iOS’s spot as the second most popular mobile platform by 2016, and this feat would be achieved one step at a time. A lot of mileage is going to be accounted for by the ecosystem, and just hours after Telerik’s update Millennial Media is jumping aboard as well.

The mobile ad network operator’s SVP of global monetization solutions said today in a blog post that his company is launching a software development kit for Windows Phone developers. Matt Gillis’ went as far as comparing the OS with Android before providing more details:

“Yes, it appears Windows Phone is here to stay.

In the coming months, we expect handset manufacturers around the globe to make a big splash in the marketplace.

If how I anticipate this to play out sounds familiar, it should. Remember not too long ago when global carriers made a significant commitment to Android? Some would argue that Verizon Wireless’ investment in the launch of the Motorola Droid helped fuel the tremendous growth of the Android ecosystem. Will we see the same happen in the coming months for Windows Phone? I hope so.”

The Windows Phone 4.5 release features a better UI, tweaked geolocation APIs and consolidated support for both Silverlight and XNA.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Millennial is so quick to adapt.  Spotting what the market wants is what allowed the company to grow from a small startup to the largest independent mobile ad network operator – that is until it went public not too long ago.