It seems that Skype will go IPO in the first half of 2010 and although some think this news is a ploy to get Skype founders to pony up more than the $1 billion they originally proposed, I think the IPO route makes more sense for a number of reasons. You see the company is a perfect play for this economy - it lowers long distance costs and also allows video, rich IM and social networking.
In addition, the world's largest internet telephony software company recently launched a SIP trunking plus service which shows it is serious about the business market... And there is growth here.
The company expects to have over a billion dollars in revenue in 2011 and I think if it tweaks its business model it could make more.
In October 2007 I wrote about what eBay should do with Skype and although the company is beginning to implement a lot of my ideas I wonder if a standalone publically traded Skype might implement some of these ideas more quickly allowing them to generate even more revenue.
What excites me a great deal about a Skype IPO however is that it will wipe away the idea that Vonage represents the entire IP communications market. Vonage has been a master at marketing but sadly the only thing it does better than market is lose money.
Skype's greatest power is in its network and its ubiquity. There is just so much you can do when you own desktop real estate.
A standalone company could be just what the doctor ordered to allow Skype to make the most of its opportunities. This one will be good to watch.
See Also: eBay Unloads StumbleUpon, Skype Next?
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