Nokia is in talks with UK operator Everything Everywhere to launch its new flagship Lumia as part of an exclusive deal, according to sources at the Financial Times.

The struggling Finnish vendor is reportedly looking to strike a deal that will see the operator offer the top-of-the-range Lumia 920 as one of the first devices to run on its yet-to-launch 4G/LTE network.

Last week, Nokia launched two new devices powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, – the high-end 920 and mid-tier 820, but did not say when they would become available.

Reports suggest that the firm is looking at exclusive deals in order to benefit from operator marketing support, though this would mark a change from Nokia’s usual retailing strategy. It is thought to be looking at similar deals in France and Italy.

Meanwhile, Everything Everywhere was recently given permission by UK regulator Ofcom to launch LTE services using its existing 1800MHz spectrum. This could give the UK market leader a significant lead over rivals which must wait for fresh spectrum auctions in order to launch 4G services.

Sources say Everything Everywhere could launch the Lumia 920 to coincide with a 4G network launch in November.