Nokia has now reached the testing phase for the new N-Gage services – which will run on the company’s Nseries and S60 handsets – with Finnish customers being the first to test them out.

The mobile phone firm has combined its gaming capabilities with an existing mobile gaming platform from Elisa.

“Starting in 2007, Nokia will allow consumers to easily find, buy, play and manage great-quality mobile games on upcoming Nokia Nseries multimedia computers and other Nokia S60 devices,” a Nokia press statement said.

“Consumers will be able to connect to the N-Gage Arena, Nokia's mobile, global gaming community.”

The launch, which should occur at the end of the pilot in mid 2007, is backed by game publishers such as Electronic Arts and Gameloft.
 
"This pilot will help us further refine the N-Gage experience for our commercial launch later this year," said Jaakko Kaidesoja, director of games and multimedia at Nokia.
 
"People who enjoy mobile games are often the same customers who enjoy experimenting with new mobile services and content, and Elisa can provide a wide range of content and services to meet their needs," said Mikko Mattinen, Elisa’s head of consumer and product services.