AOL is in talks to sell its ICQ instant-messaging service to Russian internet-investment group Digital Sky Technologies, the Wall Street Journal reports citing people familiar with the matter. Discussions between AOL and Facebook investor DST are still in the early stages. AOL has reached out to other parties as well, according to a person familiar with the talks. The deal could fetch between USD 200 million and USD 300 million, this person said. AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said last week at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference that AOL is evaluating shedding some of its assets "that don't make sense" with the company's new focus. Also on the block could be social-networking site Bebo, which AOL acquired for USD 850 million last year, according to a person familiar with the situation. A spokeswoman for AOL declined to comment on news of any deal talks. AOL acquired ICQ's parent company, Tel Aviv-based Mirabilis, in June 1998 for USD 287 million in cash and additional performance-related payments of up to USD 120 million. Soon after buying ICQ, however, AOL's own instant-messaging service, now known as AOL Instant Messenger, became more popular in the US. DST owns pieces of a number of Russian internet properties, including Russian website Mail.ru and a Polish social-networking site. DST, run by Russian businessman and internet investor Yuri Milner, is best known for buying a USD 200 million stake in Facebook. ICQ has around 33 million users worldwide, of which around 8.3 million are in Russia, where it's the leading IM service. According to a report from website TechCrunch, Google is also interested in buying ICQ, while Skype and Napsers were also considering the acquisition.
