Skype service back to normal

A software bug that left Skype users stay disconnected for two full days has been put under control. The company has said that its Net phone service is now back to normal.

The eBay company, which has in the meantime apologized to Skype users for the inconvenience caused, has grown in popularity over the years. An estimated 220 million people worldwide use the Skype service, to make long-distance phone calls over the Internet.

The software bug which struck on Thursday worldwide, made users from Vietnam, Brazil, Germany, and the United States complain that they could not log on and make phone calls or even send instant messages.

The company uses peer-to-peer technology to connect phone calls, instant messages, and videos between its users. It runs on a variety of operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, PocketPC, and Linux. Apart from the computer-to-computer calls, Skype also connects cell phones and traditional landline telephones.

The service is a hit in India too, with many an internet user preferring to make computer-to-computer calls while being logged on.