Software giant Microsoft on Wednesday said it will team up with Nokia to put the mobile versions of Microsoft’s Office applications on the Finnish phone maker's handsets.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will begin working together immediately to design, develop, and market productivity applications, the companies said in a statement.

The new alliance brings together the two former foes--Microsoft’s mobile operating system competes with Symbian, the leading mobile OS, used on Nokia’s smart phones--in an attempt to fend off their mutual rivals, Apple and Research In Motion.

The Microsoft-Nokia deal will also give the Redmond, Washington, company some ammunition against Google, as the search engine behemoth has already launched free Web-based Office-like applications that directly compete with Microsoft Office.

The Microsoft mobile applications will first be available on Nokia's E-series phones, a business-oriented smart phone, but will then reach to other Nokia handsets, the companies said.