Nokia and Microsoft have joined together to provide customers with a new suite of Windows Live services specifically designed for Nokia devices. Owners of compatible Nokia S60 phones, such as the N73, N76, N80IE, N93i and the N95, will be able to access Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces.

The rollout will be across 11 different countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, UK, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Nokia also plans to extend the service onto the mass-market Series 40 platform, used by mid-range phones such as the Nokia 6230, by next year.

Not to be outdone by Google and Yahoo, Microsoft is pushing to capture a larger share of the mobile market. Nokia, for its part, is trying to muscle in on the growth of internet-based mobile services such as web browsing and music downloads, which have traditionally been dominated by the networks. However, the programs won't be available on phones subsidized by the networks, which tightly regulate the applications that can be downloaded in order to maximize their own revenues.

Initially the service will be available as a free trial, but the terms and conditions make it clear that a monthly subscription may be imposed later.