Microsoft unbundles Teams from Office 365 and MS Office

Microsoft is separating its MS Teams collaboration app from the rest of its MS Office and Office 365 software outside of Europe, the tech giant confirmed Monday.

The corporation, based in Washington state, is extending an approach first adopted last year within the European Economic Area and Switzerland, Microsoft said.

Microsoft announced last August it would unbundle Teams from MS 365 and Office 365 at the behest of regulators as the European Union looked into whether the company was violating antitrust laws in the EEA and Switzerland. The European changes came into effect last October.

Monday’s announcement extends that approach across the rest of the world. The EEA already includes Iceland and Norway.

As is already the case in Europe, Teams will remain available as a standalone service.

“Customers who are currently subscribed to any of the suites involved will have new options,” the company said in the statement.

New subscribers will need to purchase either Microsoft 365 or Office 365 before separately adding Teams.

Previously, the company did not allow customers to buy either business suite without Teams at a lower price than suites already containing the popular business messaging and video conference tool. That led regulators to accuse the company of engaging in monopolistic practices.