Skype to give Microsoft an answer to Google Voice, Apple FaceTime.
"The questions sticking to the Microsoft-Skype deal are weighty, but the opportunity the companies are eying is too. Already, video calling is 40 percent of Skype's traffic, and the advent of LTE and WiMAX networks creates a foundation to foster ubiquitous mobile video calling. Microsoft's purchase of Skype--one of the software giant's few major acquisitions of the past 10 years--indicates the company wants to play a role in the future of IP communications, both wired and wireless. After all, imagine a future where a user could start a video call on their Xbox in their living room, move it to their LTE phone as they travel outside, and pay either nothing or very little thanks to Microsoft's insertion of video ads. (Skype's CEO said the company expects 45 percent growth in video-based ads over the next few years.)"
