Microsoft has said that the first Windows Phone 7-based smartphones are “on track” to launch in several international markets by year-end. In an official company blog post, Microsoft’s Aaron Woodman said the first phase of phones based on the new operating system will support five languages; English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, and will be “represented in countries around the world this holiday [Christmas].” He added that the platform’s applications store – Windows Phone Marketplace – will support the buying and selling of applications in 17 countries; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US. “We are working closely with our partners to determine exactly where and how Windows Phone 7 will be available regionally this holiday season and beyond,” wrote Woodman, who described Windows Phone 7 as a “fresh start” for Microsoft in the mobile space.

Woodman notes that Microsoft is showcasing a number of the new Windows Phone 7 devices at its annual partner conference in Washington this week. Unveiled at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in February, the new version of the platform  forms part of Microsoft’s strategy to better compete against rivals such as Apple and the Google-backed Android platform and curb its declining share of the smartphone OS market. Eight handset manufacturers have said they are planning to launch Windows Phone 7-based devices: LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC, HP, Dell, Toshiba and Garmin Asus.