eBay has agreed to acquire Luxembourg-based internet comms company Skype Technologies for approximately USD 2.6 billion in up-front cash and eBay stock, plus potential performance-based consideration. eBay said the acquisition will strengthen its global marketplace and payments platform, while opening several new lines of business and creating significant new monetisation opportunities for the company. The deal also represents a major opportunity for Skype to advance its leadership in Internet voice communications and offer people worldwide new ways to communicate in a global online era. Skype, eBay and PayPal will create an e-commerce and comms engine for buyers and sellers around the world. Pay-per-call communications opens up new categories of e-commerce, especially for those sectors that depend on a lead-generation model such as personal and business services, travel, new cars, and real estate. eBay's other shopping websites -- Shopping.com, Rent.com, Marktplaats.nl and Kijiji - can also benefit from the integration of Skype, eBay added.
