Google: now taking – and making – calls

So I read yesterday that Google is now offering phone calls via Gmail. Then I went home, signed into my Gmail account and got this big notification pointing over to my list of names that said make a call, or something to that effect. And subsequently was confused.

Does this mean they want to be Skype? Or beat Skype at its own game? And is this going to do something for the company’s revenue? I want to know Google, what does this all mean?

Not that there’s anything wrong with Google being Skype, I just need to sort my little head out with this so someone, please explain to me why this is all happening! Is there an e-commerce goal/benefit in all of it?