Vodafone Group and Microsoft will jointly promote programming standards for software that could work easily on both mobile phones and personal computers.

The world's largest mobile phone group and the biggest software firm said yesterday that they aimed to set industry standards for software developers by providing access to the messaging, location and billing technologies used by mobile phone networks.

This partnership could eventually produce services that, for example, allow stranded motorists to use a mobile phone to find the best auto repair service via the internet and then automatically provide their vehicle's location.

"You've got a cellphone, you've got a PC, and today they never meet," said Mr Charles Fitzgerald, Microsoft's platform strategy group general manager.

"The opportunity is to bring these two things together."

Microsoft has made a major push in the mobile industry in recent years in an attempt to head off competitors, such as Britain's Symbian, in wireless software.

The firm wants to strengthen its role in mobile technology to match its dominance of desktop computers.

By teaming up with a dominant player such as Vodafone, it hopes its mobile-to-Web services will become a standard.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Ireland is expected to release new details about its Irish pricing today at an Oireachtas committee inquiry into tmobile phone prices.

The firm, which has been criticised by consumer groups for not releasing key data, is expected to publish the average number of minutes that subscribers use their mobiles for every month.