The BBC's online education resource was given the go ahead by the European Commission earlier this month after vigorous opposition from the commercial sector.
Companies such as Granada and Reed Elsevier lobbied the government to stop the BBC project going ahead.
Microsoft won the contract after a hotly fought competitive pitch and will now work with the BBC on a series of pilots and tests in the run-up to the launch.
The service will provide interactive learning materials on the internet that will support the UK's national school curriculum.
The two companies will work together to build the infrastructure, which will deliver high-quality video, audio and interactive content over the web.
The Digital Curriculum is designed to complement the government's initiative and will assist in promoting e-learning inside and outside the classroom. Working with partners across the industry, the service will offer material on a range of subjects with 50% of all content commissioned from external producers.
Microsoft will work alongside its existing partners in the UK education market, HP and BBC Technology, to support the BBC.
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