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Microsoft and Nokia will on Wednesday announce an alliance aimed at challenging Research In Motion’s lead in the corporate mobile phone market.

The Finnish mobile phonemaker is planning to use Microsoft’s Office Mobile suite of software on its smartphones – handsets that double up as mini computers.

The partnership could help buttress Nokia’s lead in the smartphone market. The world’s largest mobile phone maker has been losing market share to rivals led by RIM.

For Microsoft, the alliance with Nokia will help defend its position against Google, the US search engine.

Google’s Android operating system for smartphones is gaining ground, and giving the US technology company the chance to put its web-based software on handsets.

RIM has carved out a strong position in supplying smartphones to business people, partly because the Canadian handset maker’s Blackberry devices have user-friendly e-mail.

The partnership between Microsoft and Nokia will seek to make up ground on RIM by including the US technology group’s Office Mobile suite of software – which includes word processing and spreadsheets as well as e-mail.

The first Nokia handsets featuring Microsoft’s Office Mobile suite are likely to be available next year, added one person familiar with the alliance. The handsets are expected to include Nokia’s E series, such as the popular E71. Hard Money Association