Microsofts Skype: trussel eller mulighet?

At $8.5bn, there is no question that Microsoft has overpaid for Skype in current market terms, but this acquisition should also be viewed as a grander strategic move by Microsoft to reinforce its stake in the IP future of communications, as well as a new weapon in the unified communications coldwar taking place with Google and others. In this respect, Microsoft has acquired a leading video/VoIP service that it can integrate into a raft of its key applications (Windows Phone 7, Xbox, Outlook, Hotmail, Messenger, and Lync), and use as a springboard beyond its Windows ecosystem with the potential for expansion across new devices for both consumer and business customers.

There is also value for Microsoft in Google not getting Skype, giving the company an opportunity to further strengthen its competitive position online against Google’s Voice, Gmail, and Talk offerings. But Microsoft also sees mobile as an important platform from which to drive Skype’s subscriber numbers. While Facebook partnerships and a fresh drive into the living room, especially the connected TV, are expected, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be looking to boost Skype’s existing mobile partnership program and establish a lead on mobile. Falling behind here would provide Google with all the encouragement it needs. If Microsoft is successful in integrating, monetizing, and productizing Skype – and we’ll likely need three-plus years to see the results of this – the cost of overpaying for Skype could be much less than the cost of not getting it at all, especially in a communications market where IP is ascendant.

Microsoft’s scale can drive network effects for Skype