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Microsoft is releasing a standalone version of its Teams video-conferencing software globally.
Microsoft previously split Teams off from Office 365 for just European customers last year after the European Commission began investigating the tech giant over possible antitrust violations. Workplace messaging platform Slack initially filed a complaint back in 2020, alleging that Microsoft bundling Teams with 365 posed an antitrust violation and urged European authorities to investigate. Now, anyone globally will be able to purchase Teams without also buying a bundle, Reuters reports.
"We are extending the steps we took last year to unbundle Teams from Microsoft 365 and Office 365 in the European Economic Area and Switzerland to customers globally," a Microsoft representative tells Reuters. "Doing so also addresses feedback from the European Commission by providing multinational companies more flexibility when they want to standardize their purchasing across geographies."
A free version of Microsoft Teams does exist, but its features are limited. Meeting durations are capped at one hour and 100 participants, with no recording, breakout rooms, or other advanced features enabled. Microsoft 365 Family, which is currently $100 per year in the US, offers up to 30 hours for a single meeting and 300 participants.
Only Microsoft Teams' business licenses unlock the software's advanced features, like certain background options, joining as an avatar, recordings, and screen-sharing control, according to Microsoft's website. The business plans range between $6 to $22 per person per month. Considering that includes a number of other apps and features, a standalone Teams subscription will likely cost less than Microsoft's software bundles.
While big tech firms deemed "gatekeepers" in the EU are generally only making concessions for European customers when forced by law (like Meta enabling messaging interoperability, for example), Microsoft untethering Teams from its big bundles is one example of how Europe's new tech regulations can have a global impact.