in October, Microsoft Teams has split the package from Microsoft 365 and Office 365 packages in the European Union and Switzerland to avoid potential fines. Now the company is expanding this offering, selling Microsoft Teams separately from Microsoft 365 and Office 365. Reuters reports. A Microsoft spokesperson told the publication: “It also takes into account the views of the European Commission, giving multinational companies more flexibility when they want to standardize their purchases across geographies.”
Current users can now choose to continue with their current deal or switch to one of the separate offers – especially useful for anyone who uses the Office suite but prefers another communications service like Zoom or Google Meet. Business customers new to Microsoft’s offerings can purchase Teams for $5.25, while Teams without Office can be purchased for $7.75 to $54.75.
Microsoft’s journey to unify Teams and Office began in 2020 Slack filed an antitrust complaint with the EU. The company, now owned by Salesforce, argued that Teams’ inclusion in the Office suite was illegal and prevented Microsoft from removing the chat platform for customers. The European Commission later investigated the matter, and Microsoft announced in April 2023 that It will separate Teams from Microsoft 35 and Office 365. Although the move took effect last fall, Microsoft still risks paying a hefty fine to the EU if it is found to have violated antitrust laws.
