US number one operator Verizon Wireless is apparently set to launch a Windows Phone device manufactured by Nokia next month, potentially giving a strong boost to both the platform and the vendor in the US market.

According to Bloomberg, Verizon has only released one Windows Phone device to date, the Trophy from HTC, which debuted last year to a lukewarm reception. It is now expected to offer a Nokia-made device powered by the next-generation of the Windows Phone platform, Windows Phone 8, in order to provide an alternative to Apple’s iPhone and devices powered by Google’s Android.

Nokia has also had little in the way of a relationship with Verizon in recent years, due to the operator’s use of CDMA technology – a market where Nokia had previously opted not to play. However, the struggling Finnish vendor announced CDMA devices for China Telecom earlier this year, paving the way for it to also work with the biggest operator in the US.

Having identified the US as a target market, Nokia is already working with the country’s second biggest operator – AT&T – to offer Windows Phone devices, such as the flagship LTE-enabled Lumia 900. It is also offering lower-tier devices with T-Mobile USA.

Offering devices via both Verizon and AT&T will give Nokia access to a combined customer base of 216.6 million subscribers, or 62.7 percent of the US market.

However, according to comScore figures for June 2012, Microsoft’s mobile platforms currently have just 3.8 percent market share in the US, down from 3.9 percent in March.

The smartphone sector in the country is dominated by Google’s Android (51.6 percent) share, and Apple’s iOS (32.4 percent share), although Apple’s stake is currently somewhat pressured, ahead of the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5.

While he refused to comment on the possibility of the launch of a CDMA device in the US, earlier this year Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO, told Mobile World Live that LTE is providing an important tool for US operators. Verizon Wireless already has a substantial LTE network in place, and this technology may prove important in enabling Nokia (and Windows Phone) to take-on the iPhone and various high-end Android devices.

Microsoft and Nokia are set to hold an event in the US on 5 September, although Bloomberg said that the Verizon partnership is not likely to be unveiled at this event.