It just feels so good to make a call on Skype. With its blue, bubbly icons and dreamy dial tones, you half expect Grandma to pick up from Mario Land. The novelty of making a face-to-face video call is slow to wear off, and the price – which is free for the vast majority users – is simply magic.
But in the business world, it’s an unusual business model. Only about 9 million of Skype’s 145 million users pay for use. So why did Microsoft pony up $8.5 billion for a service that’s almost free – and what can Microsoft do to improve that bottom line?
Since Skype started in 2003, it has balanced its checkbook in two ways. First, it gives away core services but charges for upgrades. Currently, users can choose to upgrade to a prepaid credit plan or monthly subscription, which add features like text messaging, calls to phones (instead of just computers), and now, group video calling.
Full story: Why Microsoft paid $8.5 billion for Skype, which is mostly free