IP communication to be offered over Facebook

IP communication to be offered over Facebook

Leased lines could be needed by firms who are keen to take advantage of a new video calling option on Facebook.

The social networking site is set to join forces with Skype, an IP communications service, in order to allow users to make free video calls with people they are linked to. Facebook’s founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, explained that the service will be rolled out internationally over the next few weeks and users can make use of it by downloading a small plugin and then clicking on a ‘Call’ button to contact their friends.

Earlier this month Google announced that its own social network, Google+, is to feature a group video calling function. So far Facebook’s offering is just a one-to-one service, but there are rumours that the service will also eventually offer group chat.

Introducing the changes, Mr Zuckerberg said: “The world generally believes that social software will be everywhere, and it will only be a matter of time before it reaches billions of people, whether through us or someone else.

“The driving narrative is not about wiring up the world because a lot of the interesting stuff has been done but about what cool social apps you can build now this social infrastructure is in place.”

He added that the development of social apps is only possibly because Facebook already has a social infrastructure in place. The website currently has over 750 million users, but its founder noted that the group measures its success by the benefit people are getting from the internet service and how it is driving the economy.

The increase in video and voice chat service use is likely to result in an increase in consumer bandwidth usage. Businesses looking to maintain a consistent internet performance should look at the contention ration on their internet connection and consider installing a leased line.