The number of mobile phone app downloads in the Asia Pacific will jump from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 5 billion by the end of 2011, research firm Ovum predicts.

According to Ovum, mobile phone apps are poised to generate revenue of US$871 million as compared with US$302 million in the last year.

By the year of 2016, Mobile phone app downloads are expected to hit 14 billion, with revenue of US$2.2 billion in the region.

Nick Dillon, devices analyst at Ovum, also predicts that Google’s Android will surpass Apple to dominate the app market this year. Android will account for around 1.8 billion downloads as compared with Apple’s 1.5 billion downloads in 2011.

In 2010, Android accounted for 244 million app downloads, while Apple reported 424 million downloads in the Asia Pacific region.

By 2016, the total number of Android phone apps downloads will be 6.07 billion as compared with the iPhone’s 3.4 billion in the Asia Pacific. But, iPhone will keep on dominating the Asia Pacific market when it comes to revenues from paid-for apps.

Speaking on the topic, Dillion said, “iPhone will continue to dominate the Asia Pacific market in terms of revenues from paid-for apps, reaching $US808 million in 2016, compared to $US394 million for Android.”

Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS will grab the third spot by overtaking RIM’s BlackBerry in both total number of downloads as well as revenues by 2015.