On October 13, 2011, Microsoft acquired all of the outstanding shares of Internet phone company Skype Global, an Internet communications company founded in 2003 and based in Luxembourg. Costing $8.5 billion, the Skype deal is the biggest in the 37-year history of Microsoft and expands Microsoft's presence beyond its Windows and Office software products. The deal represents an expansion in the Internet consumer market designed to increase the accessibility of real-time video and voice communications. Skype will operate as a new business division within Microsoft.