Moreover, FT
adds, Microsoft's victory highlights a turnaround in its long-strained relations with European competition authorities. Joaquín Almunia, the EU competition commissioner, is set to approve the
deal without any remedies, "in spite of complaints from would-be rivals over Microsoft 'bundling' the software with Windows," FT reports.
In June, the US Federal Trade Commission sanctioned the acquisition on the grounds that there was sufficient competition from rival services, like Google Talk. Simply put, Microsoft believes that the addition of Skype with add to the value of its existing devices and software platforms.