Skype Groups Targets Small Businesses

Aiming to increase its base of business users, VoIP provider Skype on Tuesday launched Skype Groups, a new option where one person will be able to purchase premium services for multiple accounts. The service will be aimed at business customers, which Skype says makes up 30 percent of its users.

A group administrator would be able to distribute credits among its members, and there is no limit to the number of people in a particular group. The company found through its studies that 63 percent of customers use the service to conduct business abroad, and 46 percent use it to conduct conference calls. "No longer do managers have to juggle multiple communications plans among multiple providers," Skype CEO Niklas Zennstrom said in prepared remarks.