Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Orange Business Services and ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen: 000063; Hong Kong: 0763) start the ball rolling in today's roundup of telecom news from the EMEA region.

Nokia is to receive around US$1 billion from Microsoft to develop Windows-based handsets, according to a Bloomberg report. The article adds that, for its side of the deal, Nokia will pay the software behemoth a fee for each copy of Windows used on its phones. (See MWC 2011: Microsoft & Nokia Court Carriers , MWC 2011: How Will Nokia Maintain Market Share?, RIP Symbian & MeeGo: Nokia Ties Future to WP7 and Nokia Unveils Major Revamp.)

Orange Business Services, Orange (NYSE: FTE)'s enterprise services subsidiary, is to deploy iPass Inc. (Nasdaq: IPAS)'s Open Mobile platform as the mobile services engine in its Business Everywhere offering. OBS is now targeting smaller businesses, having previously used iPass's cloud-based services delivery system as part of its mobility offering for multinationals. (See Orange Business, iPass Team Up , Orange, Cisco, et al. Forge Cloud Alliance and Orange BS Gets Ambitious.)

U.K. operator Three UK has bucked the industry trend by launching an all-you-can-eat data plan for its pre-paid customers, at a cost of £15 ($24) a month. At the same time, reports the Financial Times, 3 CEO Kevin Russell is demanding that the regulator brings in new rules that allow the smaller mobile operators a better chance of buying spectrum when the next auction finally comes around.

Greek mobile operator Cosmote has turned to Chinese vendor ZTE for what both companies are claiming is the world's fastest 3G dual-carrier HSPA+ USB modem. The MF680 offers downlink speeds of 42 Mbit/s, and 5.76 Mbit/s on the uplink. (See Cosmote Offers ZTE HSPA Modem.)

Last year was a good one for Bezeq, The Israel Telecommunications Corp. Ltd. (OTC: BZQIF): Its fourth-quarter and full-year financials reveal full-year revenues are up 4.1 percent year-on-year to 12 billion Israel New Shekels ($3.3 billion) and operating profits are up 26 percent to NIS 3.7 billion ($1.03 billion). (See Bezeq Reports 2010 and Bezeq Builds Subsea Cable With AlcaLu.) — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading