Everyone’s favorite Internet calling service Skype will be conducting a public beta test for a new group video chat function. This will allow up to five people participate in a video call at the same time. While this isn’t something that’s never been done before, it will definitely be awesome to have and was actually one of the most requested features from current Skype users.
There are a few services out there that do group video chat, but having the Skype brand attached would make this one more credible. There is also the huge, worldwide user base that works to make this new addition more attractive.
Video chat will be launching next week and will be free for the moment, giving existing users a chance to get attached to it. According general manager of Skype’s consumer business segment, Neil Stevens, this will only be temporary. Video chat, along with a few other features to be released in the coming months, will become a premium feature and will only available to paid users.
Skype will also be updating it’s existing subscription plans. They currently focus mostly on calls to land lines, but this will be changed to include options for contacting cellular phones. While it’s cheaper for Skype to route the calls to land lines, it appears that users might be willing to pay to connect to cell phones as well. These new subscription plans should provide more options for users, which is always a plus. Look forward to being able to call cell phones and land lines in over 170 countries.
Skype was sold by eBay for $2 billion late last year, purchased by an investors group which included it’s original founders. This may be only the first of many interesting changes Skype may go through as it falls back into the hands of it’s creators. While it has stayed in the forefront for Internet calls, Skype hasn’t really delved into a lot of the latest things we see going on with video and telephony, and I’m definitely curious to know what they have up their sleeves.
Do you Skype? Would group calls change the way you do business?