Word is now circulating that Dominant VOIP provider, Skype has just agreed to an acquisition of New York based start-up "GroupMe", which has been operating for about a year now.

With GroupMe's recognition primarily stemming from free mobile applications that enable quick and easy group conversations, the acquisition makes sense in that it helps Skype make a firm step toward the increasingly growing business of offering group messaging services via smartphones.

Once the acquisition has been completed, it is said that GroupMe will continue to operate from its New York base (for the time being), working on standalone applications.

Tony Bates, Skype's Chief Executive Officer said :-

Skype and GroupMe have a shared vision of creating applications and experiences that are the daily communications choice for a billion people. We will continue to seek the top talent and technology to make that vision a reality. The GroupMe team has created an incredibly sticky group messaging experience that works across mobile devices and platforms, making this a perfect addition to the voice, video and text products in the Skype family.

While it is not confirmed as to how much was spent on the purchase, a rumour suggests somewhere around the vicinity of $80M.