Skype agrees to buy California based mobile video company, Qik

Internet calling and messaging service Skype SA said Thursday it agreed to buy Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services, for an undisclosed sum.

Redwood City, Calif.-based Qik lets people capture, store and share video over mobile devices, the Web and desktop computers. The deal is expected to close this month.

The Qik service is available on more than 200 mobile phones running the Android, iPhone, Symbian, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile platforms, Skype said.

About 124 million people use Skype each month on average, though the total number of registered users is more than four times that.

The company, best known for its free or cheap Internet-calling service, already offers video call services.

But the Qik deal adds recording, sharing and storing capabilities to Skype's product offerings.

Skype made the announcement on the first official day of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.