Yahoo is outsourcing its mapping and navigation services to Nokia in a bid to play catch up with Google. Yahoo will provide email and instant messaging services on Nokia phones, as part of the worldwide partnership.

Yahoo chief executive Carol Bartz said that such deals means Yahoo can deliver better experiences than everybody trying to do the same thing. Last year, the company entered a 10-year internet search partnership with Microsoft in an effort to whittle away Google's leadership. Yahoo said it will drop its Yahoo Personals brand for its dating service and partner with Match.com. The deal with Nokia covers both phones and computers.

Bartz said Yahoo has "chosen to invest in other areas" in recent years. That put the company's navigation services well behind Google. Yahoo and Nokia wouldn't disclose financial details of the deal, but they both stand to benefit.

The services will be co-branded, with Yahoo's navigation services and maps "powered by" Ovi, Nokia's brand of software and services. Nokia's Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat will likewise be "powered by" Yahoo. The services will start to become available later this year and will be offered worldwide in 2011.