eBay pays $2.6 Billion for Skype

[Anonymous]

If you have every used the Pocket PC version of Skype to make some free phone calls over the Internet, you probably know that it is a pretty decent service. EBay according to the Inquirer has just paid $2.6 billion in cash to purchase Skype. The only question is "why"?

So what does it mean? Well, it certainly cures one of Skype's major headaches – namely, how to bill people for low cost voice services. In order to gain major revenues, Skype needs to promote its paid-for services like SkypeIn and SkypeOut.

And if there's any service on the Net which surfers are prepared to trust to take their payments perhaps it's the Ebay/PayPal combo. Particularly since the former now owns the latter.

any comments?

[Yohng Yiao]

for starters, wow. even though i had heard of it, i didn't realize their technology was so highly valued.
2.6 big ones....

[Yohng Yiao]

After the reading the update (the 2.6 IS confirmed), it makes quite a bit more sense -- ebay really is poised to take advantage of Skype's major capabilities.
Hm....