Skype has made a trans-Pacific connection with Japan's second-largest mobile carrier, announcing plans to offer its Internet phone and videochat service to KDDI's customers. The partnership, which is similar Skype's agreement with Verizon, could bode well for its IPO plans.
Tony Bates, the incoming CEO of Skype, is a serious player aiming to crack the corporate market. But solving the many problems of wild child Skype won't be easy for the ex-Cisco exec.
Former Cisco Systems senior vice president Tony Bates has answered Skype's call for a new leader. He's signed on as the Internet-telephone service's CEO, replacing Josh Silverman, who had headed eBay's Shopping.com division before taking the top spot at Skype since 2008.