12 September 2005
There was good news for home telephone customers today as Voice over internet Protocol (VoIP) operator Skype was nearing the conclusion of its sale to Ebay.
The deal, likely to be concluded today, is thought to be worth nearly £2 billion, and will significantly increase the range of activities open to Skype users, such as online commerce.
It will also allow Skype users who are customers of Ebay to use the online auctioneer more smoothly, industry experts say.
Skype currently has 50 million users worldwide, from whom it is estimated to make over £30 million per annum.
The company is headquartered in Luxembourg, but its Scandinavian founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis run the business from London.
VoIP services allow customers to make free telephone calls over the internet using their broadband connection.
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