Skype Closer To Being Blocked In China
from the like-you-couldn't-see-this-one-coming dept
We've already established that decision makers at eBay don't read what we've been saying around here, but perhaps they should start. It wasn't at all hard to predict this one. Back in September we noted that a network traffic management company named Verso was pitching a special "Skype" filter (at which point we suggested eBay get their lawyers ready). A few weeks earlier, before eBay had bought Skype, but when the deal was close, we pointed out that some areas of China were already blocking Skype, potentially meaning that 1.3 billion people might not be available for Skype -- again, specifically suggesting that eBay might want to take this into account in the final purchase price. Of course, eBay went ahead and did the deal, and when questioned about it, one of the justifications was that Skype would help get some of the many Skype users in China interested in using eBay. Not if they can't use Skype, of course. So, surprise, surprise... Verso is on the verge of announcing a contract win to block Skype for a major Chinese telecom outfit. Not that the deal to buy Skype ever seemed to make much sense, but it's about to make even less sense.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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