EBay in USD 2 B Deal to Sell Skype - Report

EBay has been seeking to fetch about USD 2 B for Skype, reports say. Photo by sdbg.info

EBay is set to announce a deal Tuesday to sell its Skype Internet phone unit, according to a report in the New York Times.

The newspaper, citing two sources briefed on the situation, said eBay intends to sell the division to a group of private investors.

The value of the sale was not disclosed, the report said, but it added that eBay has been seeking to fetch about USD 2 B for Skype.

The newspaper said the buyers of Skype could include Andreessen Horowitz, a new venture capital firm headed by Marc Andreessen, who co-founded Netscape.

Other buyers reportedly could include venture capital firm Index Venture and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners.

An eBay spokesman would not comment on the matter to the Times.