Yahoo! and Nokia have taken to the stage this morning and, as expected, they’ve announced a partnership deal that will see them collaborate on mobile services. According to the deal, Nokia will be the exclusive provider for Yahoo!’s maps services worldwide, using Ovi Maps, while Yahoo! will become the exclusive global provider of Nokia’s Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services.
Yahoo! Maps will be “powered by Ovi”, while Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat will be “powered by Yahoo!” Ovi ID will be broadened across select Yahoo! content and services, allowing for a reasonably consistent single point of login.
The first markets to get the co-branded Ovi functionality will see service in the second half of this year; that’ll be expanded globally in 2011. Frankly this sounds, in no small part, like two companies clinging to each others’ strengths in a hope to save themselves some money playing underdog.