Skype is now officially a new business division within Microsoft

Oct 14, 2011 09:17 GMT  ·  By

Skype is now officially a new business division within Microsoft. After receiving the green light from antitrust regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ocean, Microsoft announced on October 13, 2011 that it has finalized the acquisition of Skype.

The Redmond company first announced plans to buy the Internet communications giant on May 10, in an all cash deal worth no less than $8.5 billion.

Thus, as previously announced, the software giant has grown with the addition of a new business, the Microsoft Skype division.

“Skype is a phenomenal product and brand that is loved by hundreds of millions of people around the world,” stressed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

“We look forward to working with the Skype team to create new ways for people to stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues — anytime, anywhere.”

Also as already announced, the current Chief Executive Officer of Skype will transition to a new role inside Microsoft.

Tony Bates is the new President of the Skype Division of Microsoft, a position created along with the new business, subordinate directly to Ballmer.

“By bringing together the best of Microsoft and the best of Skype, we are committed to empowering consumers and businesses around the globe to connect in new ways,” Bates added. “Together, we will be able to accelerate Skype’s goal to reach 1 billion users daily,” Bates said.

Neither Microsoft nor Skype have shared any specific future plans with the public. The duo did emphasize that Skype will continue to be available to customers on all of the platforms supported today, and that focus will be placed on expanding the audience even further.

At the same time, the pair will work to integrate the Skype technologies into a range of software and services from Microsoft. In this regard, the good news for customers leveraging existing products from the Redmond company is that they’re next in line to receive a consistent upgrade involving video calling capabilities.