Enlarge Image Skype

Microsoft is the latest US tech giant to help keep Indians connected.

Skype Lite is a new version of the company's popular video and voice-calling app that's "built in India." Microsoft unveiled the service on Wednesday at its Future Decoded conference, reports ZDNet.

Skype Lite functions much like its big brother Skype, but it's designed to work well on low-speed, 2G networks, which are still prevalent in India and many developing nations. It uses less data and battery power than the fully fledged app, and at 13MB it's around a third of the download size.

Microsoft is hardly alone in shifting its focus to India. Seen as a huge growth market, several tech companies have made similar moves in the country. Google, for instance, last year announced YouTube Go, and Facebook brought out a Lite version of its app the year before that.

Microsoft also announced "Project Sangam" at the conference, a LinkedIn-based training initiative for India's low- and semi-skilled workers.

Microsoft has some tough competition in India though, especially from WhatsApp, which has more than 160 million daily active users in India.