Many thanks to AudioCodes, this month's community Benefactor.
AudioCodes recently unveiled their new brand story, The Future Runs on Voice AI. It's an important step, emphasising the company's evolution from experts in voice connectivity to a company shaping the future-ready workplace by unlocking the strategic value of voice with AI.
While news traditionally slows down at year’s end, we still have a lof of news and roadmap to cover.
You can check the monthly update video briefing to get all the news in under 15 minutes on YouTube or LinkedIn.
26M Teams Phone Users
A New Microsoft Teams Phone user number for the end of the year! 26 million Teams Phone (PSTN) users, up from 20 million in April 2024.
That is Teams Phone Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) - enabled users with a phone number assigned, using Operator Connect, Direct Routing, Teams Calling Plans or Teams Phone Mobile.
Anthropic Models Coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot
The biggest news this month: Anthropic (Claude) models will be enabled by default in Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft has added Anthropic as a data subprocessor. (MC1193290)
What this means: Unless you opt out, your data will be processed by Anthropic when using these models. Microsoft has vetted Anthropic’s data handling practices, but if you prefer to disable this, you have until January 7th to toggle the switch.
Important exceptions: - GCC, GCC-High, and DoD tenants: Not applicable - EU and UK tenants: Default OFF - you must opt in if you want access to the Anthropic models
Note that this is separate from the previous Frontier plan opt-in; even if you did that before, you still need to opt in again.
GPT 5.2 Now Available in Copilot
OpenAI has been busy with rapid releases (ChatGPT 5, 5.1, and 5.2), and Microsoft has kept pace by bringing these into Microsoft 365 Copilot. The model selector has been improved as well - instead of choosing specific models, you now select behaviour: - Auto - Instant - Thinking (MC1192003)
You can also explicitly choose the new 5.2 models, “5.2 Quick Response” or “5.2 Think Deeper".
New Copilot Business SKU and End of Year Discount
Microsoft announced a Microsoft 365 Copilot Business SKU at $21/user/month (list price). This is identical to the standard Copilot license but only attaches to Business or Business Premium licenses. Combined with the current 15% promotional discount, this represents meaningful cost savings for smaller organisations.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Roadmap Highlights
Voice chat in Copilot - Interact with Microsoft 365 Copilot using voice - this is a significant step forward for natural interaction. (MC1189001 - Dec)
Meeting scheduling in Copilot chat - create and respond to meeting invitations directly from chat. While I’m not certain about the use cases for this in chat, this lays the foundation for voice-based scheduling. (MC1189914 - Nov)
Custom AI summaries for meetings - Set custom prompts for meeting recap summaries. The default meeting recap is useful, but being able to tailor it to your needs adds real value. (MC1189004 – Jan)
Copilot dashboard improvements: Enhanced insights into Copilot chat usage across your organisation. (MC1191915 - Jan).
Microsoft Planner - Major Changes Coming Q1 2026
Microsoft Planner will receive significant updates in early 2026, including the retirement of several features. In addition to the previously announced retirement of Project Online, Microsoft is consolidating the task management experience.
New capabilities include meeting facilitators being able to add tasks directly into Planner. (MC1193421)
Look out for a briefing coming soon with more details.
Teams Immersive Events Generally Available
Microsoft Mesh is now fully integrated into Teams as “Immersive Events” and available on Teams desktop (PC/Mac) or via Meta Quest headsets. Microsoft Blog
Hosting an immersive event requires Teams Premium, but co-organisers and attendees only need standard Teams licenses.
Express Teams Voice Enrollment
Coming in February, this feature will automatically prompt users to enrol their voice when they’ve spoken enough during a meeting. Instead of requiring users to proactively go into settings and read a prompt, the system will use existing speech from meetings to enrol their voice. MC1197146
Compliance Call Recording for Call Queues
You can now explicitly record call queues with Teams Certified compliance recording solutions. Your recording provider must support this capability for it to work; verify with your vendor. Microsoft Blog.
Teams Roadmap Highlights
New subprocess for calling on Windows desktop client - should improve performance. If you have hardened desktops with third-party antivirus, ensure your InfoSec team isn’t blocking this process. (MC1189656 - Jan)
Auto-correct in compose box - Automatically fixes typing errors - something I definitely need. (MC1192251 - Jan)
Interpreter agent in calls - The live translation capability currently in meetings is coming to both VoIP and PSTN calls. (MC1191612 - Feb)
Meeting data APIs - Generally Available - This is exciting for developers and integration scenarios. APIs now provide access to: - Teams recordings - Transcriptions
- Meeting recaps (including mentions) here and here.
Device Updates
Neat: Gen 2 Neat Bar, Neat Board 50, Neat Board Pro, and Neat Pad all certified for Android 13.
Poly: X32, X52, X72 (video bars) and Studio G62 (Android compute unit) certified for Android 13. Poly has committed to MDEP and publicly stated they’ll support Android 17 on their current video bars - the first mention of Android 17 for MDEP. Here.
Jabra Scheduler Teams Panel: New scheduler running Android 13, single cat cable, multiple mounting options included, and 50% recycled materials. Great to see Jabra expanding their portfolio. Jabra website
Yealink Smart Dock (pending certification): A laptop dock with a screen running Android and a Teams client. Integrates with Microsoft Places for desk-based check-in and desk reservation. Currently undergoing certification, more to come on this. On the Microsoft blog here.