EBay said it would pay half the amount in cash and the other half in stocks to create “an unparalleled e-commerce and communications engine”. Skype’s software lets PC users talk to each other for free and make cut-price calls to mobiles and landlines. Other players in the online phone market include computer giants such as Google, Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo. Google recently launched its Talk service, while Microsoft purchased leading player Teleo for an undisclosed sum. Technology used by Skype, and rivals such as Vonage, converts phone conversations into packets of data and transmits them down the same wires used to surf the internet. If certain performance targets are met, eBay said it would pay an additional $1.5bn to Skype over the next three years , bringing the total size of the deal to $4bn.
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