Verizon Wireless is reportedly ready to give Windows Phone another shot this year. According to a Bloomberg report citing an unnamed source, Verizon plans to sell a new Nokia Oyj phone with Microsoft's latest Windows 8 software. Should this prove to be true, it would be the first time the carrier has released a Windows device since May 2011.

Microsoft and Nokia will hold a press conference in New York on Sept. 5 to discuss the new Nokia Lumia lineup of Windows Phones. Verizon will likely not take part in the event, but Bloomberg's source said that the carrier does intend to launch a Nokia phone later. Spokespersons for the three companies - Verizon, Nokia, and Microsoft - declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the move would bolster both Microsoft's and Nokia's efforts to regain relevance and market share. The Sept. 5 event comes one week ahead of Apple's expected unveiling of its next-generation iPhone on Sept. 12.

Sales of a Nokia Windows phone would also allow Verizon to lessen its reliance on Apple's iPhone and devices running on Google's popular Android platform, which control most of the smartphone market.

Verizon launched its only current Windows Phone, HTC's Trophy, back in May 2011, but it has not been a great seller. Microsoft and Verizon also struggled two years ago with the release of the Kin phone, which lasted less than two months in Verizon stores before being pulled. That experience may have affected the two companies' business relationship, but Microsoft and Verizon have since improved their partnership, said Bloomberg's source.

Nokia currently has a closer relationship with AT&T, as the carrier introduced the Lumia 900 Windows Phone on April 8. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has not only made efforts to promote the device, but even uses it personally. Meanwhile, Nokia's first Windows Phone launched in the U.S. was the Lumia 710, which debuted in Jan. 2012 on T-Mobile. Both the AT&T Lumia 900 and the T-Mobile Lumia 710 run on Microsoft's Windows 7 software.

Microsoft is now releasing the Windows Phone 8 platform along with its new software for PCs and tablets. According to Microsoft, the new phone software will be able to run on devices with faster, dual-core chips and high-definition displays, providing a greater mobile experience.

News of a Verizon Windows Phone does not come as a complete surprise, however. Back in July, a Nokia vice president told Neowin that Nokia's Lumia Windows Phones would soon become available on Verizon. According to research firm IDC, Microsoft held a 3.5 percent share of the mobile OS market in the second quarter, with shipments of 5.4 million. Meanwhile, Google's Android had more than 68 percent, and Apple's iOS held 16.9 percent.