Skype struggles back online as Supernodes issue continues,Skype has announced that around 30 percent of its regular user base is now able to connect to the VoIP and video conferencing service, after downtime issues that began yesterday

Skype has announced that around 30 percent of its regular user base is now able to connect to the VoIP and video conferencing service, after downtime issues that began yesterday. According to the Skype blog, a software issue affected the connectivity status of the “supernodes” the service uses to route calls between users; although enterprise functionality is working normally, the company can give no estimate as to how long regular users will be without the service.

“Skype uses peer-to-peer communications in order to allow users to find one another. Consequently, a small percentage of our users will hold a record reflecting the online presence of other users. When one user holds a record concerning the presence of other users, the former is called a “supernode”, or directory node.” Skype support

Even when the service does come back online, certain functionality – such as the recently launched group video chat – will not be available. The company estimates that around 5m users are now able to sign in to their Skype accounts, but that’s a mere 30-percent of the sort of user-base it would regularly expect to see at this time of the day.