Skype watchers noted the big VoIP provider this week enjoyed 12 million concurrent users for a short period. The peak occurred around 19:00 GMT and coincided to a period when both European and U.S. users were using Skype. According to the Skype Journal, the strong rise in usage reflects a recent lift in the take-up of Skype by U.S. customers. Over 80 percent of Skype's user base is offshore from the U.S. and Skype has long yearned for a bigger U.S. audience. The peaks are driven by its European base.

At the same time, Skype claimed to have clocked 100 billion minutes of audio and video usage. What that means is hard to get your head around, other than to note there are now 276 million users with registered Skype accounts. If only someone could work out how to make money from free telephony!

For more:
- One hundred billion reasons to call this a milestone Skype Blog [1]
- 12 million online Skype Journal [2]

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Skype struggles to find revenue Report [2]
Skype asks where are all the WiMAX devices Report [3]