eBay wanted to sell Skype a year ago, and the company finally sold Skype yesterday. Retaining a 30-percent interest in Skype, eBay actually came out pretty well on the deal. Now Skype for Asterisk will help even more.

Digium, makers of the Asterisk open source PBX, announced the formal launch of Skype for Asterisk, a software load that will allow seamless access to Skype services using Asterisk PBXs. Skype for Asterisk, which was announced at AstriCon Sept. 25, 2008, has been in beta testing with more than 4,000 participants, according to Digium’s Pete Engler. The product, which carries a one-time, per-channel license fee of $66, is now available for purchase at the Digium store.

Engler, product manager for strategic products for Digium, said the beta group included businesses and VARs that saw the integration of Skype for Asterisk as a way to lower costs while also improving functionality.