Washington, Feb. 28, (dpa/GNA) – Skype, the once-popular video call service, will cease operations after more than 20 years in May, owner Microsoft said on Friday.
“Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” said a brief post on X that encouraged users to switch to Microsoft’s communications app Teams.
Skype was founded in Luxembourg in 2003 by Niklas Zennström of Sweden and Janus Friis of Denmark. The service allowed a mass audience to make free voice and video calls over the internet for the first time.
It was particularly popular for international communication as it avoided high telephone costs.
At its peak, Skype had several hundred million users per month worldwide. According to the Similarweb statistics service, the number of users has since fallen to around 30 million per month.
Skype users can not only call other Skype users, but also make calls to landline and mobile numbers. A Skype credit or subscription is required for this feature.
$8.5 billion for Skype
Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion and integrated it into its ecosystem, including Windows and Office.
Despite this integration, Skype has lost ground to competitors such as Zoom and WhatsApp.
But Microsoft Teams, which launched in 2017, has now established itself as one of the leading providers in the collaboration software market and plays a central role in corporate communications.
GNA