In an effort to alleviate European Union antitrust worries, American tech giant Microsoft announced on Thursday that it will separate its chat and videoconference service Teams from its Microsoft 365 office suite.
Beginning on October 1 of this year, Microsoft will offer the packages without Teams in the EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss regions at a discounted rate representing a 24 euro ($26) per year decrease. Existing clients with Teams suites have the option of upgrading to a solution without the video conferencing software or staying with their current package.
Teams was once considered the crown jewel of the suite of business-oriented apps available through the subscription-based Microsoft 365 package, formerly known as Office 365. These apps also include Word and Excel. As it facilitated workplace text and video communication during the Covid-19 outbreak, the Teams programme, which made its debut in 2017, acquired popularity among users. Microsoft announced its plans to release a new version of Teams in March that will be twice as quick as its forerunner.
Source (CNBC)