Skype to acquire Qik, scores Verizon Wireless video chat deal

Consolidation has already hit the nascent mobile video chat space as giant Skype Ltd. said it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Qik Inc. for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to close this month.
Qik currently counts 60 employees across its headquarters in Redwood City, Calif., and an office in Moscow. The company currently offers capture and sharing video services across a number of mobile and desktop platforms and powers the mobile chat services for both Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc.
Skype said the Qik platform will allow it to add recording, sharing and storage capabilities for video services to the Skype offering as well as leverage Qik’s technology that optimizes the streaming of video content across mobile networks.
In a somewhat related note, Skype also said it would begin offering video calling services to Verizon Wireless’ LTE network beginning later this year. The platform will be integrated into select LTE-enable devices and will allow customers to video chat using the carrier’s LTE network or a Wi-Fi connection.
The announcement is an extension of a partnership between the two companies that kicked off at the Mobile World Congress event last year that installed Skype’s voice offering onto select devices offered by Verizon Wireless.