In short
Microsoft Teams uses VoIP for every call. Teams-to-Teams calls work over the internet with any plan that includes Teams, and Teams Phone adds a phone number and PBX features. To call ordinary landlines and mobiles you add a PSTN route: a Microsoft Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile or Direct Routing, such as our Forever Teams service.
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Does Microsoft Teams have VoIP?
Yes. Every call in Teams is a VoIP call: voice is turned into data and carried over the internet. Any Microsoft 365 plan that includes Teams lets colleagues call each other in the app, at no extra charge.
What most businesses mean by "Teams VoIP", though, is calling outside numbers: customers on landlines and mobiles, and callers ringing your office number. For that, Teams needs two more things:
- Teams Phone, Microsoft's cloud phone system inside Teams, which gives users a phone number, voicemail, transfer, auto attendants and call queues
- A PSTN route, the connection between Teams and the public telephone network that carries calls to and from ordinary numbers
Microsoft describes Teams Phone as letting users make and receive PSTN calls from the Teams app on desktop and mobile, on certified Teams phones and on meeting room devices. If you want to compare Teams with other platforms first, see our guide to choosing the best VoIP phone system.
The three licence layers
Teams VoIP pricing is per user, built from three layers:
- A qualifying plan that includes Teams, such as Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard or Business Premium, Teams Essentials, or an Enterprise suite with Teams.
- A Teams Phone licence: Teams Phone Standard, or a Teams Phone bundle that includes a Microsoft Calling Plan. Microsoft 365 E5 already includes Teams Phone.
- A PSTN route: a Calling Plan from Microsoft, a contract with an Operator Connect or Teams Phone Mobile operator, or Direct Routing.
Some phones are shared rather than personal. Auto attendants and call queues use resource accounts with their own licence, and shared phones in corridors, kitchens and warehouses use the Microsoft Teams Shared Space licence, which Microsoft called Teams Shared Devices before April 2026. Our sister site sets out every licence on its Teams Phone licensing page. For costs, ask us for a quote; our VoIP phone system cost guide explains what drives the total.
Four ways Teams VoIP reaches the phone network
Microsoft supports four PSTN connectivity models, and says you can equip one tenant with as many of them as you like. That means you could, for example, give office staff one route and mobile workers another.
| PSTN route | Who provides numbers and calls | Often suits |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Calling Plans | Microsoft is your operator. UK plans include Domestic, International and Pay-As-You-Go; the 3,000-minute domestic plan gives each user outbound minutes that are pooled across users on the same plan | Smaller teams that want everything inside Microsoft 365 |
| Operator Connect | A Microsoft-certified operator that has already integrated with Teams, enabled in the Teams admin centre | Organisations that want an operator's numbers and support without running equipment |
| Teams Phone Mobile | A certified mobile operator, so the number on a user's mobile SIM is also their Teams number | Mobile-first staff who want one business number. It supports user numbers only |
| Direct Routing | Any PSTN operator, connected through a certified session border controller run by you, an integrator or a Direct Routing as a service provider | Keeping a carrier, connecting an existing PBX or analogue devices, or a managed service such as Forever Teams |
For a side-by-side comparison, read Direct Routing vs Operator Connect on our sister site, and for the general mechanism, how a VoIP phone system works.
Not sure which plan fits? Ask us
Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right plan for your organisation, with a quote.
Forever Teams: Teams calling from Forever Group
Forever Teams is Forever Group's own Microsoft Teams calling service, built on Direct Routing. It is designed for organisations that want Teams as their phone system with one supplier for the calling service and the Microsoft licences.
- Keep your numbers: your existing business numbers move to Forever Teams, so callers keep reaching you on the numbers they know
- Calls in the Teams app on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac, alongside chat and meetings
- No hardware needed: people can work entirely from the app with a headset, and Teams desk phones are an option
- Call recording available as an option
- Microsoft licensing supplied, so Teams Phone and the plan it sits on come from the same place as your calls
Read more about Forever Teams on our sister site, or on Forever Group's main site.
Teams with your existing phone system
You may not need to replace a phone system to bring calling into Teams. Two routes work alongside telephony you already have:
- Direct Routing connects Teams to telephony you already have through a certified session border controller. Microsoft positions it for organisations that need existing infrastructure support, and says the SBC can be run by you, an integrator or a Direct Routing as a Service provider, so it need not sit on your site. See Teams Direct Routing.
- 3CX's Microsoft Teams integration lets Teams users make and take calls through 3CX on the AI edition at 16 simultaneous calls and above. See 3CX VoIP.
These routes suit organisations with a contact centre or reception on an existing system, or a phased move to Teams. If you are weighing a full change of system, our PBX vs VoIP explainer sets out the options.
Is Microsoft Teams calling the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
Teams VoIP numbers
Teams users can have new numbers or keep the ones you already have. New UK numbers come from your PSTN route: Microsoft for Calling Plans, your operator for Operator Connect or Teams Phone Mobile, and your carrier or Direct Routing provider for Direct Routing.
Existing numbers can normally be ported to any of these routes. Microsoft does not currently accept UK numbers beginning 0843, 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871 or 0872 into Calling Plans, so those ranges need an Operator Connect or Direct Routing route instead. Auto attendants, call queues and audio conferencing need numbers from a Calling Plan, Operator Connect or Direct Routing, because Teams Phone Mobile supports user numbers only.
Read VoIP numbers for business for the number types, and port your landline number to VoIP for how a port works.
Teams handsets, headsets and meeting rooms
People can run Teams VoIP entirely from the app with a good headset. Where a handset suits better, there is a wide choice of devices:
- Teams certified phones for desks, plus common area phones for shared spaces on the Shared Space licence
- Conference phones and Microsoft Teams Rooms systems for meeting rooms. See VoIP conference phones
- Headsets certified for Microsoft Teams, wired, USB, Bluetooth or DECT. See VoIP headsets
- SIP Gateway, which lets compatible SIP desk phones and DECT systems sign in to Teams, protecting handsets you already own
Handsets can be bought outright or, in some cases, included in your monthly rental, with the options confirmed at quote. Microsoft says fax numbers ported to Teams Calling Plans can't be used for faxing, so fax machines and other analogue devices need their own plan; see VoIP adapters. Our VoIP handsets for business hub covers every device type.
Setting up Teams VoIP
- Check licences. Confirm each user's plan includes Teams, then add Teams Phone and choose the PSTN route for each group of users.
- Check the network. Teams calls need bandwidth and priority on your network and Wi-Fi. See VoIP requirements and VoIP QoS settings.
- Plan numbers and emergency addresses. Decide new and ported numbers, and set an emergency address for each site.
- Build call flows. Create auto attendants, call queues, opening hours and holiday schedules on resource accounts.
- Set up devices. Provision Teams phones, headsets and room systems, and sign in compatible SIP phones through SIP Gateway.
- Port, test and train. Port your numbers on an agreed date, test every call flow and show reception and users how it works.
Much of this can be done remotely, and we can help with changes afterwards. Contact us for a Teams VoIP recommendation and quote. For more on the platform, see our sister site's Teams Phone hub and Forever Group's Microsoft Teams calling page.
How Forever Systems helps you choose a VoIP phone system
We supply and support several VoIP platforms, so we can recommend the one that fits how your team takes calls rather than fitting your business around one product.
- Platform advice across hosted 3CX, Microsoft Teams Phone, Webex Calling, Forever UC and Forever Teams, with SIP trunks for phone systems you already own
- A requirements check of your broadband, network and routers before anything goes live
- Numbers and porting: we can help you keep your existing business numbers and plan the move away from analogue and ISDN lines
- Handsets and headsets that suit each platform, bought outright or, in some cases, included in your monthly rental, with the options confirmed at quote
- Set-up and changes: call flows, users and devices configured for you, and help with moves, adds and changes afterwards
- For BT Cloud Voice, see our sister site cloudvoice.cloud, and for hosted and cloud platforms in depth, cloudphone.cloud
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations.
Frequently asked questions
Does Microsoft Teams have VoIP?
Yes. All Teams calls use VoIP. Colleagues can call each other in Teams with any plan that includes it. To call ordinary landlines and mobiles, and to have a business number, you add Teams Phone and a PSTN route such as a Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile or Direct Routing.
Is Teams VoIP free?
Teams-to-Teams calls are included with Microsoft 365 plans that include Teams. Calls to phone numbers need a Teams Phone licence (included in Microsoft 365 E5) and a PSTN route, which are charged per user. Ask us for a quote.
How much does Teams VoIP cost?
It depends on your Microsoft 365 plan, whether you need Teams Phone or already have it in E5, the PSTN route you choose and any devices. Licences are per user per month. Ask us for a quote and we will set out each part.
Can I keep my phone number with Teams VoIP?
Usually, yes. Existing UK numbers can normally be ported to a Calling Plan, an Operator Connect operator or a Direct Routing service such as Forever Teams. Microsoft does not currently accept numbers beginning 0843, 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871 or 0872 into Calling Plans.
Can I use desk phones with Teams VoIP?
Yes. There are Teams certified desk, common area and conference phones, and Microsoft's SIP Gateway lets compatible SIP phones and DECT systems sign in to Teams. Handsets can be bought outright or, in some cases, included in your monthly rental.
Can Teams connect to our existing phone system?
Yes. Direct Routing connects Teams to existing telephony through a certified session border controller, which can be run by a Direct Routing as a Service provider rather than on your site. 3CX's AI edition at 16 simultaneous calls and above also includes a Teams Direct Routing integration.
Still have a question about Microsoft Teams calling?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.
More VoIP phone system guides
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Webex VoIPIs Webex a VoIP service? Webex Calling licences, devices and PSTN options.VoIP CRM integrationScreen pop, click to call and automatic call logging from your VoIP phone system.VoIP call recordingHow VoIP platforms record calls, which tiers include it and the UK rules.VoIP requirementsBroadband, bandwidth, latency, network, power and devices: the checklist for business VoIP.VoIP handsetsDesk, cordless, conference and Wi-Fi handsets, headsets and adapters, matched to each role.