Tom Online (TOMO), the operator of Skype service in China, has worked out a compensation measure regarding last week's Skype failures that lasted from August 16 to August 18.

According to Sohu media reports, Tom Online says that due to an undetected software deficiency, the peer-to-peer network of Skype software became unstable from August 16, and as a result affected millions of Skype users around the world. Tom Online says that the accident had nothing to do with any vicious attacks or behaviors and it did not pose any risk to user's online security.

It says it will offer a 30-minute free call (for Tom-Skype 3.2 or above beta) for users who have been affected by the failure. But the eligible users must be those who had registered before August 18 (including that day) and who use a Chinese version of Tom-Skype.

After the Skype failure, Skype's Global CEO Niklas Zennstrom sent a letter to all Skype users, apologizing to them for the trouble brought to them by the accident. As the operator of Skype in mainland China, Tom Online also published a notice on the official website of Tom-Skype and expressed its apology to the users.