Skype to buy group-messaging company GroupMe

"Skype and GroupMe have a shared vision of creating applications and experiences that are the daily communications choice for a billion people," Skype CEO Tony Bates said in a statement announcing the deal. "The GroupMe team has created an incredibly sticky group messaging experience that works across mobile devices and platforms, making this a perfect addition to the voice, video and text products in the Skype family."

The year-old service

The year-old service, which combines free group texting and conference calling to create ongoing mobile-based group conversations, is part of a market that turned red hot before this year. GroupMe competitor rival Beluga was snapped up by Facebook in March.

GroupMe, which proudly announced in February that it's sending a million text messages a day, launched a revamped version of itsiPhone andAndroid apps in March that feature an improved interface, photo sharing within groups, and location sharing.

The acquisition comes as the Luxembourg-based VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) company itself is the subject of an acquisition by Microsoft for $8.5 billion.

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