In order to use the service, people will have to do so through Skype Access, the company’s internet feature, and ensure that they are in a wifi hotspot and have the latest version of Skype for Mac or Windows.
Internet Week Europe will last five days, during which more than 100 events, celebrating internet organisations and the technology scene across the continent, will happen in and around London.
Technology giants such as Google and Yahoo! are hosting several events and organisations like the BBC are also getting involved. BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the Corporation, announced this morning that it has made its two most popular iPhone apps, Lonely Planet and the BBC Good Food Health Recipes app, usually both £1.79 each, free of charge for the week.
This is the first time Europe has ever laid on an ‘Internet Week’, with the concept having begun in the US two years ago. The aim of the five-day festival is to raise the profile of Europe’s digital industry.
Last week, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, laid out plans for London’s East End to become a centre of technological innovation to rival Silicon Valley. He also announced a new via for entrepreneurs who are prepared to invest in the UK.
Additionally Google, Facebook, Intel and consultants McKinsey & Co committed to investing in the long-term future of the area growing out of London’s Old Street and Shoreditch that is already becoming known as Silicon Roundabout.