Microsoft decides to unbundle Teams from Office suite

Following an investigation launched by the European Union on the grounds of violating competition rules, Microsoft has decided to unbundle its online meeting platform, Teams, from its Office software suite. This step was taken to address the European Commission's competition concerns.

OFFICE PACKAGES WITHOUT TEAMS WILL BE DISCOUNTED

As part of the commitments submitted to the European Commission, Microsoft will launch Office packages without Teams at lower prices. Additionally, it will allow existing customers to switch to packages that do not include Teams. The company will also take steps to ensure Teams works more compatibly with rival platforms and will allow users to migrate their data to other solutions.

The European Commission will collect feedback on these commitments submitted by Microsoft for one month. Some of the commitments will remain in effect for 10 years, while others will be valid for 7 years. During this process, the European Commission evaluates situations that could harm competition and can impose heavy fines on companies when necessary.

The investigation, launched in 2023, was opened on the allegation that Microsoft violated competition rules by bundling Teams with Office. The European Commission takes various measures in such cases to ensure that companies terminate practices that hinder competition.

News Source: 12punto