Competition and Markets Authority may grant Microsoft strategic market status
Britain's competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is thinking about giving Microsoft "strategic market status" for its business tools like Excel, Teams, and Copilot.
If this goes through, Microsoft could have to change how it bundles these apps together.
The final call is expected by February 2027 after inviting views on the proposed designation.
CMA probes Microsoft switching and bundling
Since May 2026, the CMA has been investigating whether Microsoft's business software makes it too hard for users, about 20 million in the UK to switch to other products or try out competing AI tools.
They are also checking if bundling and licensing rules hurt competition in cloud services.
Microsoft says its products are open and work well with others, but the CMA wants to be sure customers still have real choices.
If approved, Microsoft would join Google and Apple under stricter digital rules in the UK.