3 November 2010

After more than a year of preparation, Skype will finally move forward with an initial public offering (IPO).

Although it was expected the VoIP provider to go public at some point this year, market conditions and several internal factors have delayed the move. Skype originally filed an S-1 registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission back in August, but have made several major moves since that may have pushed back the company's timetable.

Just last month, the voice calling giant hired Tony Bates, a former Cisco Systems senior vice president, as its CEO. Bates will have to develop a better understanding of the company's line of products and roster of employees before making the final decision on the date of the IPO.

Skype will most likely complete the initial public offering process at some point in 2011. Experts of the market expect that the IPO could be valued at $1 billion.

Meanwhile, Skype has apparently decided against pursuing a dual-track option, where it would consider selling off a small stake in the company to raise some capital. Several major players in the technology space -- including Yahoo, Google, Apple, AT&T, Microsoft and Verizon Wireless were all said to be interested in at least discussing the option of obtaining a pre-IPO stake in the Luxembourg-based software outfit.

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