8x8 licensing is the set of terms under which 8x8, Inc. sells cloud telephony, team collaboration, contact centre and communications platform services. The portfolio documented in 8x8’s terms includes 8x8 Work (formerly 8x8 Virtual Office), 8x8 Contact Center (formerly 8x8 Virtual Contact Center), 8x8 Engage, 8x8 ContactNow, 8x8 Secure Pay and developer products such as APIs and SDKs.[1][2] 8x8’s pricing page lists the capabilities of Contact Center, Engage, communications APIs (CPaaS) and 8x8 Work and directs buyers to request a quote. It shows no prices.[9]
The main licensing construct is the X Series user licence. A licence is assigned to a user in the 8x8 Admin Console, and its type determines the features and calling plan that user has.[7] Business telephony users hold X1 to X4 licences and contact centre users hold X6 to X8 licences, with X5 sitting between them in the terms.[6] Around the licence sit a calling zone that decides which countries are unmetered, pooled minutes for contact centre bundles, a monthly SMS and MMS allowance, and usage charges for everything else.
Editions
8x8 groups its per-user licences as follows. The table uses the names in 8x8’s terms and Support documentation.
| Licence | Documented scope | Catalog row |
|---|---|---|
| X1 | Unlimited domestic calling within the country of the user’s primary number (UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand); X1 licences for different zones cannot be mixed on the same system[6] | X Series X1 |
| X2 | Unlimited calling within 14 countries[6] | X Series X2 |
| X3 | Unlimited calling within 32 countries[6] | X Series X3 |
| X4 | Unlimited calling within 48 countries[6] | X Series X4 |
| X5 | 48 countries; includes ContactNow elements[2] | X Series X5 |
| X6, X7, X8 | Contact centre seats; 48 countries when bundled; ContactNow elements in X8[2][5] | X6, X7, X8 |
The Admin Console also lists 8x8 Work licences, VCC licences, Operator Connect licences and 8x8 XF Workspace and Engage licences.[7] Operator Connect is a licence that enables 8x8 PSTN calling for Microsoft Teams users and carries no 8x8 unified communications or contact centre capabilities.[5] Details of X Series are in 8x8 X Series plans and calling zones.
Metrics
8x8 does not publish one metric. The documented units are:
| Unit | Catalog row | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| User licence | X Series user licence | All X Series licences |
| Agent (unique login) | Agent | UCaaS extensions and CCaaS access |
| Contact centre seat | Contact centre seat licence (X6, X7, X8) | Contact centre plans |
| Calling zone | Calling zone | Unmetered calling |
| Pooled minutes | Pooled call minutes | Bundled contact centre licences |
| Metered minute | Metered call minute | Calls outside the bundle |
| SMS and MMS messages | SMS/MMS pooled message, CCaaS SMS message | Messaging |
| Recording storage | Call recording storage | Call recordings |
| Number | Telephone number (DID) | Regulatory Fees |
| Fair Use | Fair Use threshold | Unlimited features |
An Agent is defined as “an individual, identified through a unique login, authorized to use, administer, or take actions with respect to Ordered SaaS Services through Customer’s account.” 8x8 provides a single login for each UCaaS extension, and each login and extension is solely for a single Agent’s use, except for conference extensions designed for multiparty use.[1] The Use Policy repeats that an extension may only be accessed by the User then assigned to it.[4] In licensing terms this is a named-user model, so shared logins are a compliance risk.
Counting / floors
The 8x8 UCaaS/CCaaS Service Terms contain the commercial floors. The customer pays all fees for the entire Initial Term identified in its first Order, or 36 months if none is identified, and for each renewal term. The terms call this the Subscription Commitment and describe it as a material basis for pricing. A customer may reduce quantity or downgrade for a renewal term by giving at least 45 days’ notice before that term begins.[1] At the end of any term the agreement renews automatically for 12 months unless an Order says otherwise, unless either party gives notice of non-renewal at least 30 days before the term ends.[1] The first Order of SaaS Services in a country caps the rates for later Orders in that term, and at renewal 8x8 may raise rates by up to 5 percent, or up to list price on 60 days’ notice.[1] These terms are covered in 8x8 service terms and subscription commitment.
Usage is billed separately. Service fees and other monthly recurring charges are billed monthly in advance, while call and other usage charges are billed in arrears.[5] Call durations are calculated in one-minute increments, rounding up partial minutes.[3]
Virtualization & partitioning
8x8’s services are hosted, so virtualization rules are not relevant. Partitioning works by licence country and calling zone: the Admin Console groups licences by type and licence country, and licences vary by the calling zone associated with the user licence.[5][7] The Use Policy prohibits trunking or forwarding extensions or numbers to a PBX or key system, or to other numbers that can process multiple calls simultaneously, which closes off the use of one licence to front a larger call-handling system.[4]
Cloud / BYOL
There is no bring-your-own-licence model for the SaaS services. The relevant hosting question is where customers use the services: 8x8 does not prohibit use outside its Primary Market of the US, the UK, Australia and Canada, but makes no warranty that such use complies with foreign requirements.[4] Some regional rules also apply to numbers and porting, and 8x8 notes that number portability depends on third parties in the US and Canada.[1]
Programs
The terms name the following commercial constructs:
- Subscription Commitment and automatic 12-month renewal: Subscription Commitment, Automatic 12-month renewal.
- Pricing commitment capping later Orders: SaaS Services Pricing Commitment.
- 30-day satisfaction termination: 30-day satisfaction termination.
- Pooled minute bundles for contact centre licences: Contact centre pooled minute bundle.
- Monthly SMS and MMS pool: Monthly SMS/MMS message pool.
- Prepaid usage: the call rates page describes a prepaid usage package that gives tiered discounting based on total spend.[5]
- API and SDK licences, which are free of licence fees but revocable, under separate agreements.[10]
Out of scope
- List prices. 8x8 shows no prices for plans on its pricing page, and the figures in the Usage page apply only where an Order does not set a rate.[3][9]
- Reseller and legacy terms. 8x8 lists earlier Business Terms and Service Terms that applied until 2023, and a customer subscribed through a reseller may be under a different document.[2]
- Hardware. Equipment sold with services has its own provisions, including a 12-month warranty pass-through and financing plans.[1]
- Litigation. No court case about 8x8 licence scope or audit with a primary court record was identified for this article.