Knowledge@Wharton published an article about skype, which will be two years old at the end of August. Some good inputs. Let’s see how the things will evolve!

Skype’s software had been downloaded nearly 145 million times as of Aug. 4, and the company claims to have 47 million people using its services. More than 1.8 million people use SkypeOut, a pay service that allows users to call traditional phones from their PCs for low minute rates. Skype also charges for voice mail.

For now, Zennström’s position is that Skype isn’t a voice service at all. When asked whether Skype would enable 911 emergency calling services, Zennström said he didn’t see the need. […] Regulating Skype would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, adds Werbach. “The regulation issues are a challenge [for the FCC]. What extent could you apply regulation to a Luxembourg company with free software? It’s hard to see how anything would be enforced.” Skype may have to “walk a fine line, but it can’t get sucked into that regulation fray,” adds McGeown. “If it does, it could just become an underground business.”

What the future holds for Skype is unclear. Its options include:

• Skype could emerge as a new communications platform that ties voice and video, not to mention millions of people together via handheld devices.
• It could be acquired by an established communications or media company. […] Indeed, a report in CNET.com this week says that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. allegedly discussed buying Skype for around $3 billion, but that talks broke down. The big question is valuing Skype.
• The company could be pulled into a regulatory fray over issues such as 911 calls as it grows into a de facto telecommunications company.
• Or it could remain an underground movement that continues to garner millions of users across the globe and is able to skirt regulatory concerns altogether.