A page from the Skype website is seen in Singapore May 10, 2011. (Photo : Reuters / David Loh)
Microsoft's voice and messaging application, Skype, recently reported a major service interruption. While many users reported the problem, deeper investigation shows that the problem did not affect Skype Business users.
The technical glitch shows Skype contacts to be offline even if they are not. This makes it impossible for make voice or video calls. During the course of the outage Skype said that while its voice calling service is totally down its messaging service still works and noted that only a small fraction of messages were not delivered.
According to Financial Times, this is the biggest service outage Skype experienced ever since it was acquired by Microsoft in 2009.
Users from Australia, Japan and United Kingdom have all reported that they are experiencing technical difficulties. The massive coverage of the outage rules out the possibility that it is an isolated issue. Skype acknowledged the situation through a tweet and added that it is working to fix the problem as soon as possible.
Skype posted a statement on its official blog saying, "The status issue also doesn't affect Skype for web, which can be used to make calls and send instant messages."
In a subsequent statement, Skype posted that it has identified the problem and is working to restore full service. Skype added, "The issue did not affect Skype for Business users." The company has yet to issue a statement regarding what caused the outage.
As of Sept. 21 at 11:53PM GMT, Skype claim that its services is fully restored and working. The announcement was made on Skype's official website.
