eBay to Acquire Skype For $2.6 Billion

Online auction giant eBay is expanding its communications services with a $2.6 billion cash and stock deal to acquire Voice over IP darling Skype Technologies.

In announcing the deal Monday, which had been rumored for weeks, eBay said the acquisition of the Luxembourg-based Skype would strengthen eBay’s global marketplace and payments platform. Plus, it’s keen to open several new lines of business for both companies.

EBay’s user base of 157 million could be a perfect fit for Skype’s telephony software, allowing users to talk to other users at no extra cost. In addition, the companies said the deal gives Skype an opportunity to advance its Internet voice communications services.

The deal represents a heady zenith for Niklas Zennstr?ɬ?m and Janus Friis, who founded the fast-growing Skype in 2002. Beyond its free PC-to-PC calling service, voicemail, instant messaging, call forwarding and conference calling, Skype offers a paid calling service, called Skype-out, that connects PC callers to traditional landlines and mobile phones.

Full article: internetnews.com