Cisco appeals Microsoft-Skype merger approval

Cisco senior vice president Marthin De Beer said in a blog post that Cisco does not oppose the merger but argued that the Commission should have required greater interoperability between video-calling systems.

Cisco is a leading provider of video conferencing technology.

Messagenet, a European Internet communications service provider, has joined Cisco in the appeal, De Beer said.

“This appeal is about one thing only: securing standards-based interoperability in the video calling space,” he said. “Our goal is to make video calling as easy and seamless as email is today.”

“Cisco does not oppose the merger, but believes the European Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater standards-based interoperability, to avoid any one company from being able to seek to control the future of video communications,” De Beer said.

“Making a video-to-video call should be as easy as dialing a phone number,” he said. “Today, however, you can’t make seamless video calls from one platform to another, much to the frustration of consumers and business users alike.

“Cisco believes that the right approach for the industry is to rally around open standards,” he said.

“We believe standards-based interoperability will accelerate innovation, create economic value, and increase choice for users of video communications, entertainment, and services.”

The European Commission approved Microsoft’s takeover of Skype in October and the deal gained US approval in June.