Microsoft Teams Phone System is the solution offered by Microsoft to connect the Microsoft 365 cloud environment and Microsoft Teams to the Public Switched Telephone Network. Introduced to help Teams earn its position as one of the market-leading UCaaS solutions on the market, the Phone System ensures you can stay connected through external and internal voice and video.
As today’s companies continue to evolve rapidly, moving into a world of hybrid work, embedding phone functionality into Teams provides staff with an all-in-one environment for collaboration. With PSTN connectivity, business leaders can ensure their team members can access crucial calling features in the same landscape where they share files and host meetings.
While Microsoft’s range of options for phone system connectivity is designed to make a single-pane-of-glass communication and productivity environment accessible to anyone, there are still many companies that don’t understand the solution’s pricing structure.
Here’s what you need to know about Microsoft Teams Phone pricing.
What Do You Need to Access Microsoft Teams Phone System?
Microsoft offers companies a range of ways to leverage calling within Microsoft Teams, regardless of whether you want to stick with your current provider or move everything into Microsoft.
To access phone functionality within Microsoft Teams, you need two crucial things:
Calling Plans
You can either access a calling plan from Microsoft Teams or leverage the calling plan provided by your Direct Routing or Operator Connect provider. The cost of your calling plan will depend on several factors, including whether you’re looking for international or domestic calling packages.
You can get a quote for your calling plans from Microsoft by contacting the company directly. You can also speak to your PSTN carrier about their calling deals if you’re using Operator Connect or Direct Routing. Calling plans are added to your Microsoft Teams subscription, so it’s essential to calculate the costs of both subscriptions when budgeting.
A Microsoft 365 Subscription with Microsoft Teams
You’ll need a Microsoft 365 subscription with Microsoft Teams including accessing Microsoft Teams Phone. There are multiple packages available depending on the functionality you need. The two types of calling plan packages likely to appeal to most companies are Microsoft’s Business and Enterprise plans.
Microsoft 365 Business plans include:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6 per month/user on an annual subscription: Premium web and mobile versions of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, video calling and meetings, chat, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and around-the-clock support.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per month/user for all the features of Basic, plus Microsoft Access, Publisher, webinar functionality, and desktop versions of the Microsoft productivity apps.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22 per month/user for all the features of Business Standard, plus Advanced threat protection, PC and mobile device management, and in-built email and calendaring functionality.
Microsoft Teams Apps is not suitable for Phone System access as it doesn’t come with access to Microsoft Teams. With the Microsoft 365 Business plans, you’ll need to purchase Audio Conferencing as a separate add-on. This add-on is available for a custom price, charged based on your specific internal and external conferencing needs.
Microsoft 365 packages are also available with custom pricing for government and education groups leveraging the Microsoft Phone System.
