Microsoft corporation agreed to purchase IP telephony and video communication service – Skype. It is reported in All Things Digital technical blog referring to the anonymous sources.
The blog’s editor Kara Swisher adds that the deal has already been completed and announced on May 10. Skype with all its debts is bought for 8.5 billion dollars. The direct Skype’s shareholders will get from 7 to 8 billion dollars, The Wall Street Journal states.
It is planned that Skype will be integrated into the family of Windows Live Internet services. At present, Skype is used as a separate application for computers and mobile devices (smart phones, etc.).
It is reported that negotiations were conducted by the CEO of Microsoft company Steve Ballmer. Skype purchase is the biggest deal in the company’s history. Previously the largest deal of Microsoft was the purchase of aQuantative advertising agency in 2007 at 6 billion dollars.
In summer 2010 Skype officially filed the application for IPO. However, in October 2010 Skype got new Director General appointed which delayed the Initial Public Offering. In August 2010 the world found out that Cisco was ready to buy Skype at 5 billion dollars. In the beginning of May it was rumored that Google and Facebook were interested in Skype purchase.
