Microsoft has announced that it is replacing its Windows Live Messenger service, formerly known as MSN Messenger, in favour of Skype.
According to the BBC, Microsoft says that it will switch off the service outside China in March of next year.
SmartCompany reported in September that Microsoft is already making moves towards integrating Windows Live Messenger into the Skype client, with a recent version allowing users to log in to Skype using a Windows Live account and send messages to users still on the Windows Live Messenger service.
According to ComScore, the US user base for Windows Live Messenger has recently fallen to just 8.3 million unique users.