Microsoft Teams moves a step closer to no longer being part of Office

After letting the dust settle on Microsoft’s offer to unbundle Teams from Microsoft 365, EU antitrust regulators are now asking Microsoft’s rival companies if this was enough.

The move, which came into force on October 1, saw Microsoft 365 packages get €2 per month cheaper across the European Union.

Those changes weren’t reflected everywhere, though, and Teams remains part of the package in the UK, which was previously a member of the EU until 2020.

Microsoft is still in trouble with Teams

People close to the matter (via Reuters) have suggested that this new EU development could be indicative of the competition watchdog’s intention to build a statement of objections that could be sent to Microsoft early next year.

By now, the saga is more than three years old, stemming from a complaint from Slack that the unfair bundling of Teams with other office apps made it challenging for rival companies to sell their products.

Regulators have also been interested in how companies like Microsoft impose technical and financial restrictions that make it difficult to change providers. Redmond has not been alone in the crackdown on lock-ins in recent months, and companies across the world are having to address interoperability and competitive practices.

However, Microsoft has had plenty of spotlight, itself. The tech giant has faced plenty of other complaints, including unfair cloud licensing practices and the bundling of OneDrive into the Windows operating system.

TechRadar Pro has asked Microsoft and Slack to share their comments on the ongoing case, but neither responded immediately. Microsoft has previously directed us to its blogs when approached about the matter, adding no further comments.

Via Reuters