Rumors have been swirling around VoIP company Skype, including reports that the company has been in talks with Facebook, Google and Microsoft for either a partnership or an outright acquisition. People familiar with Skype indicate that there should be a formal announcement soon. Microsoft is a late entrant to this game, but their interest in the company is not surprising.
Skype would give Microsoft a big boost in the hotly contested enterprise collaboration market, thanks to Skype's voice, video and sharing capabilities. It would be especially useful in competing against two of its main rivals in this space, Cisco and Google. It would also give Microsoft a chance to work with carriers who are looking to partner with Skype as they begin the transition to LTE-based networks. An acquisition of Skype makes less sense for any of the tech giants then a partnership and investment to give Skype a cash cushion pre-IPO.