Skype to launch group chat, new subscription models

Skype will soon be rolling out a group video chat function for up to five people says the firm, and will also be unveiling updated subscription offerings for calls to mobile devices and landlines in some 170 countries.
A Skype executive told the AP news agency that the group video chat feature had been one of the most requested by the VoIP firm’s users, and that a public “beta” test would begin as early as next week.
Initially, the group video chat feature will be free like Skype’s other video chat tools, but the company has already expressed an interest in monetizing it in several months’ time, adding to a list of other paid-features being released.
Windows users will be the first to try out Skype’s group video options, with Mac users having to wait until later this year.
Skype has also said it will be expanding its subscription services, which currently allow paying customers to make calls mainly to landlines in over 40 countries. The VoIP service now wants to extend its coverage to more mobile devices in a much broader market, spanning some 170 countries.
As of Wednesday, users should be able to decide which countries they want to call, and adapt their subscriptions according to whether they would prefer to be able to access a landline, cell phone or both.