(CNN) -- Online telephone calls have seen a big jump in popularity in the past couple of years, according to new survey numbers.

After years of modest use, nearly one-fourth of all American adults who use the Internet say they have made a Web-based phone call, according to the survey by the Pew Internet and Amercian Life Project.

The results come in the wake of the news earlier this month that computing giant Microsoft had bought popular Web chat tool Skype for a staggering $8.5 billion.

According to a Pew report, 24 percent of online U.S. adults have placed calls online. That's 19 percent of all adults in the country.

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