As of today Facebook has integrated video calling into its Messenger app - this is effectively the final play in its long breakup with Skype.

Facebook could make the online call service obsolete, or at least significantly reduce its audience by offering streamlined video calling in its app which already has a much higher active user base.

The most recent version of Facebook Messenger has an added video call button in the top right corner of the screen - the feature is being initially rolled out in 15 countries and Ireland is one of them.

The company promises "fast, reliable and high quality" video calls and the technology is all in-house.

Facebook announced a highly publicised partnership with Skype in 2011 to add video calls to Facebook's desktop site - but in recent years this relationship has become strained.

When Facebook Messenger introduced voice calls in 2013 it also did this with its own technology, not Skype's.

Facebook has also confirmed that Skype is no longer being used for Facebook desktop video calls. The absence of Skype technology in this new venture suggests that ties may now be cut between the two companies.

Skype is owned by Microsoft - its Bing search engine used to power searches on Facebook - but this was replaced by Facebook's own search service in December of last year.

The two companies have a long history, Microsoft invested $240m in Facebook during 2007 - but as Facebook powers-on to battle with Google it looks like it wants to go it alone.