In eBay’s presentation to investors regarding the purchase of Skype for $2.6 billion, the online auctioneer listed the monetization of lead generation as a primary objective. By adding Skype’s VoIP capabilities, eBay hopes to venture into the burgeoning pay per call market. Can Skype deliver what eBay hopes?

Companies are beginning to realize the commercial uses of VoIP are huge, which is why companies like Superpages.com are developing pay for performance solutions that work online and in print. eBay has correctly seen the potential of the pay per call market, but their acquisition has been driven by the stand-alone potential of Skype as a revenue generator. Based on what eBay has planned for potential applications resulting from the Skype acquisition, it’s clear that eStara, and others, are further along in the development of pay per call and click to call services. It’s not just about the voice contact it’s - where, when, why and how you engage the online customer that matters. It’s about integrating voice with data tools.

The Kelsey Group predicts that by 2009 pay per calls will reach an estimated $4 billion. However, in order to be a player in pay per call, you have to offer phone to phone connectivity. Moreover, pay per call is not a peer to peer application, it has to combine both online and conventional telephony components.

It appears that eBay is buying Skype on the promise that they can deliver what companies like eStara have been doing since 2000, which is bridging phone-based and online customer interaction.