Microsoft Corp has agreed the acquisition of Internet telephone company Skype for $8.5 billion in cash from an investor group led by Silver Lake private investment fund, its biggest deal ever, Microsoft said in a statement on Tuesday.
The deal is aimed at improving Microsoft's existing portfolio of real-time communications products and services, the company said.
Skype will support Microsoft's devices like Xbox and Kinect, Windows Phone and a wide array of Windows devices, while Microsoft will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities.