NEW YORK, USA: Polycom Inc said on Monday it will bolster a pact with IBM to introduce videoconferencing services aimed at consumers, competing with Skype and a yet-to-be announced product by Cisco Systems Inc.

The two companies plan to unveil a high-definition video conferencing product later this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The product will enable video chats with multiple participants over high-speed Internet, Polycom said, although it did not disclose a price or sales date.

Polycom and IBM already jointly offer corporate videoconferencing products. The latest move will help both firms push into consumer services, where they will compete with Skype.

Top network equipment maker Cisco also plans to offer a consumer version of its high-end, corporate videoconferencing product, TelePresence, some time soon.

Competition in online video communications has intensified, with Cisco buying Norway's Tandberg, the world's leading videoconferencing provider