Skype video, voice calls to any number, coming to Facebook
New video chat service will be followed up by commercial calling service to any phone number.
Free Skype video calling will be integrated into Facebook, the social network's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said today.
The new feature will be rolled out over the next couple of months.
For Facebook, the benefit is obvious: adding Skype video will help the company combat new competiition from Google+ (the search giant's social network, recently launched in a beta trial, which has a similar video calling feature).
But what's in it for Microsoft, which recently bought Skype for $US8.5 billion, and holds a 1.6% private equity stake in Facebook?
That will become more apparent in phase two of the partnership, which will see the Facebook iteration of Skype offer calls to any phone number (which usually costs 4 Euro cents per minute on the regular version of Skype).
The companies said the commercial details of this next step are still being worked out.
Assuming it's low-cost, many small businesses - and some larger ones - just might decide that Facebook is all they need for calling (though watch for Microsoft to attempt an upsell to its commecial communications product Lync, which will also get Skype functionality).
BELOW: Facebook's official video of the announcement:
NBR staff
Thu, 07 Jul 2011
Thu, 07 Jul 2011
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