 | This blog post aims to help readers understand the new Teams Room licenses that was just released by Microsoft this month and how to work with these licenses in actual Teams Room devices. For more information see the Microsoft Docs article. |
The Basics
Starting on 1st September 2022, Microsoft provides two types of licenses for meeting room devices that allow them to take part in calls and meetings hosted by Teams:
The in-room meeting experiences provided by Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro are significantly improved, and include intelligent audio and video, front row and big gallery support, and support for dual screens. Additional sophisticated management tools, such as remote device management, conditional access controls, and detailed device analytics, are included with the purchase of a Teams Rooms Pro license. Teams Rooms Pro is an excellent choice for both medium and enterprise-sized businesses, as well as for smaller businesses that require a greater number of rooms or have more complex requirements.
Organizations who purchase a certified Microsoft Teams Rooms device are eligible to receive Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic at no additional cost. This offers the organization with essential meeting experiences. The standard license for Teams Rooms comes with built-in capabilities for basic management and security, as well as the ability to schedule and join meetings, share information, collaborate on whiteboards, and more. Within your business, you are able to assign a maximum of 25 Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic licenses to various Teams Rooms devices. If you need to license more than 25 devices, you will need to purchase Teams Rooms Pro licenses for each additional license you require.
A single certified Teams Rooms device in a room can be licensed with the usage of a Teams Rooms Basic license if that license is purchased. If you want to log into more than one device in a room using the same resource account (for example, a Surface Hub, a Teams panel, and a Teams Rooms console), you will need to purchase a Teams Rooms Pro license. This will cost you more money.
The TAC screen below shows the 25 Teams Room Basic license now available for free in every tenant:
Starting on 1st September 2022, Microsoft provides two types of licenses for meeting room devices that allow them to take part in calls and meetings hosted by Teams:
The in-room meeting experiences provided by Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro are significantly improved, and include intelligent audio and video, front row and big gallery support, and support for dual screens. Additional sophisticated management tools, such as remote device management, conditional access controls, and detailed device analytics, are included with the purchase of a Teams Rooms Pro license. Teams Rooms Pro is an excellent choice for both medium and enterprise-sized businesses, as well as for smaller businesses that require a greater number of rooms or have more complex requirements.
Organizations who purchase a certified Microsoft Teams Rooms device are eligible to receive Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic at no additional cost. This offers the organization with essential meeting experiences. The standard license for Teams Rooms comes with built-in capabilities for basic management and security, as well as the ability to schedule and join meetings, share information, collaborate on whiteboards, and more. Within your business, you are able to assign a maximum of 25 Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic licenses to various Teams Rooms devices. If you need to license more than 25 devices, you will need to purchase Teams Rooms Pro licenses for each additional license you require.
A single certified Teams Rooms device in a room can be licensed with the usage of a Teams Rooms Basic license if that license is purchased. If you want to log into more than one device in a room using the same resource account (for example, a Surface Hub, a Teams panel, and a Teams Rooms console), you will need to purchase a Teams Rooms Pro license. This will cost you more money.
The TAC screen below shows the 25 Teams Room Basic license now available for free in every tenant:
It's important to note that the usage of user licenses in conjunction with meeting devices is no longer going to be supported. Before July 1, 2023, user licenses that have been allocated to teams meeting devices will need to be replaced by a license for Teams Rooms Basic or Teams Rooms Pro. After the first of July in 2023, the ability to sign in will be disabled for meeting devices that have a user license, and this will remain the case until a Teams Rooms license is granted.
The following table shows the services included in each Teams Rooms license:
The following table shows the services included in each Teams Rooms license:
Transitioning between the Teams Rooms Standard and the Teams Rooms Premium
If your company has meeting devices that run on legacy licenses for Teams Rooms Standard or Teams Rooms Premium, you can keep using those licenses up to the time they run out, provided that you do so before the expiration date. We strongly suggest that you upgrade to the Teams Rooms Pro license before the current legacy licenses that you hold come to an end on their respective expiration dates. The Teams Rooms Pro license now includes all of the functionality related to meetings and management that were previously only accessible in one of the legacy versions.
The move from legacy licenses to the new licenses will not take place automatically. Once a legacy license has run its course, you will be required to acquire a new license for either Teams Rooms Pro (which is preferred) or Teams Rooms Basic. Licenses for Teams Rooms Pro can be acquired through the Microsoft 365 admin center or through whichever sales channel is most convenient for you. Only the Microsoft 365 admin center is the place where you may purchase a license for Teams Rooms Basic.
If your company has an Enterprise Agreement, you are able to keep utilizing any legacy software licenses you already possess until the time comes for your next renewal. You also have the option of continuing to reserve additional legacy licenses until the time comes for your next renewal. Beginning October 1, 2022, Microsoft Service engineers will no longer act as intermediates between the incident response team and the customer.
Finally, below table shows the details of the feature differences between Teams Room Pro and Basic licenses:
If your company has meeting devices that run on legacy licenses for Teams Rooms Standard or Teams Rooms Premium, you can keep using those licenses up to the time they run out, provided that you do so before the expiration date. We strongly suggest that you upgrade to the Teams Rooms Pro license before the current legacy licenses that you hold come to an end on their respective expiration dates. The Teams Rooms Pro license now includes all of the functionality related to meetings and management that were previously only accessible in one of the legacy versions.
The move from legacy licenses to the new licenses will not take place automatically. Once a legacy license has run its course, you will be required to acquire a new license for either Teams Rooms Pro (which is preferred) or Teams Rooms Basic. Licenses for Teams Rooms Pro can be acquired through the Microsoft 365 admin center or through whichever sales channel is most convenient for you. Only the Microsoft 365 admin center is the place where you may purchase a license for Teams Rooms Basic.
If your company has an Enterprise Agreement, you are able to keep utilizing any legacy software licenses you already possess until the time comes for your next renewal. You also have the option of continuing to reserve additional legacy licenses until the time comes for your next renewal. Beginning October 1, 2022, Microsoft Service engineers will no longer act as intermediates between the incident response team and the customer.
Finally, below table shows the details of the feature differences between Teams Room Pro and Basic licenses:
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