So, now that we've exhausted the Skype-eBay topic, some people (a.k.a. as my brother, Sean, who has an MBA, CFA and a few other academic letters) are wondering what the next M&A deal will be in the VOIP world. He's wondering if Google will take a run at eBay/Skype, or whether Yahoo will step up to the plate. And what about Microsoft, which has spent years trying to move into the television industry let alone the telecom business? "There's a whole of brokerage fee waiting to happen," Sean says. "Reminds me of the great financial services consolidation wave in the late-1990s." Clearly, Vonage will be the next deal to happen although it will probably do an IPO despite my belief it would rather be acquired. As for someone pursuing eBay, it would be a $52-billion move (not including a takeover premium), and I'm not sure Google and/or Yahoo has the appetite or interest in making such an audacious move. As for the other VOIP players (8x8, DeltaThree, et al), if anyone really wanted them, they would have been taken out already.

Add The Street.com's Scott Mortiz to the group of people starting to scrutinize eBay's $4.1-billion foray into VOIP (check out my second thoughts post). An issue that deserves more attention is why eBay felt it had to make the deal - as opposed to how Skype's investors hit the jackpot. You have to wonder if eBay has conceded the high-growth days of its core auction business are numbered - not withstanding its good second-quarter results. If that's the case, it may explain why investors seem less than overwhelmed given how eBay shares have performed recently.

If you want an example of how to drag your feet, look no further than Canada's wireless industry, which claims to need at least two years before it can even start testing technology that will let consumer keep their phone numbers if they switch carriers. After having a study done, over the summer, the industry said there are many technical issues to be tackled before WNP can be launched across Canada. You have to laugh given WNP has been in the U.S. since 2003 and it is available throughout Europe. When the Canadian government told the wireless industry in February to "expeditously" implement WNP, I'm willing to bet it wasn't thinking of a two or three year timeframe before its launch. The carriers clearly want to maintain the status quo for as long as they can because once you give consumers WNP, they start looking for things like customer service and competitive prices - otherwise they switch! Look for Virgin Mobile Canada to aggressively push the issue as it tries to gain a bigger foothold against Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility and Rogers Wireless.