05 May 2011 | Author: N. Hamilton Media copywriter

Going once … Facebook and Google mull Skype spend

The lot's been valued and the (silent) bids may be in, but the gavel's far from sounding, as both Facebook and Google look set to enter a bidding war over Skype.

According to Reuters, unidentified sources said Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is mulling a multibillion Skype spend that would see the social network own or form a joint venture with the web communications firm.

Zuck's move to partner with Skype may be hush-hush, but it's far from surprising as Skype 5.0 for Windows features a Facebook tab that lets Facebook users Skype chat or call their Facebook friends via an embedded Facebook newsfeed.

Facebook allegedly may be up for offering $3 to $4 billion for full ownership of Skype, even though the web conferencing firm's initial public offering has been forecast at just $1 billion.

And it's not just Facebook looking to spend big on Skype, as Google's said to have held "early talks" about a joint venture that would see Mountain View work with the firm in order to boost its own social offerings.

Responding to buy-out rumours, a Skype spokesman said: "As a practical matter, we avoid commenting on rumour and speculation."

But if the rumours are true, it wouldn't be the first time that Google and Facebook have bid against one another - as the rival firms recently fought for ownership of the popular microblogging platform Twitter.

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