Deal with Microsoft comes as social network hits 750m users.
It certainly heats up a space that is currently pre-occupied with the Google+ bag of services that opened in beta this week.
So here's Facebook hitting back by giving its users video calling via Skype, which currently has about 145 million regular users.
The move shifts Facebook closer to being a comms medium in addition to a social network. The service, initially limited to one-to-one video chat, will be free.
One wonders how soon it will be before premium services are added that incorporate Facebook's own currency Facebook Credits.
"We think this is awesome because we're using the best technology that's out there for doing video chat with the best social infrastructure that's out there to create some really cool new scenarios," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
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Intriguingly Facebook has also unveiled a group messaging service, presumably based on the platform it acquired when it bought Beluga earlier this year.
The Skype deal moves Microsoft and Facebook even closer together. The PC giant owns 1.6 percent of Facebook and announced its $8.5 billion purchase of Skype in May.
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