Skype announces 10-person video calls

Skype is making it easier for far-flung families to get together this Christmas.

The company has announced the Skype 5.0 beta, which allows video-calling for up to 10 people at once through a new vid-chat function.

On its website Skype says: “The second beta of Skype 5.0 brings a number of changes both outside and in – most importantly, you can now make group video calls with up to 10 people.”

The new version is also said to be sleeker, neater and crisper.

The announcement closely follows Google’s introduction of it Gmail VoIP service, which puts it in direct competition with Skype.