How to Make and Receive Calls Worldwide with Microsoft Teams Phone

Teams Phone brings cloud PBX calling into Microsoft Teams so employees can call, receive, transfer, queue, delegate, and manage business voice from the same app they use for meetings and chat. In 2026, the planning question is no longer simply “Calling Plan or Direct Routing?”—organizations can also evaluate Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, shared calling models, modern emergency calling, compliance, and CSP/NCE licensing.

What is Microsoft Teams Phone?

Microsoft Teams Phone is Microsoft’s cloud PBX capability for Teams. It replaces or complements a traditional Private Branch Exchange (PBX) by providing calling features in the Teams desktop app, web app, mobile app, and Teams-certified desk phones, headsets, room devices, and panels.

Teams Phone supports internal calling between Teams users and, when connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), external calling to mobile phones and landlines. Microsoft documentation and some admin screens may still refer to “Phone System,” but the modern product positioning is Teams Phone.

Core capabilities include call transfer, consultative transfer, call forwarding, simultaneous ring, voicemail, delegation, shared line scenarios, call queues, auto attendants, call park, caller ID policies, emergency calling policies, reporting, and integration with Microsoft 365 compliance controls.

Why move business voice to Teams?

The strongest business case is consolidation. Instead of maintaining separate PBX hardware, carrier portals, voicemail systems, conferencing tools, and collaboration apps, many organizations can manage calling from the Microsoft Teams admin center and Microsoft 365 admin experience.

For users, calling becomes part of the same workflow as chat, meetings, channels, files, and calendar. A user can start with a one-to-one call, add participants, transfer the call, escalate to a meeting when appropriate, or use a certified headset or phone for a desk-based experience.

For IT, Teams Phone can simplify administration, support hybrid work, standardize calling policies across locations, and provide visibility through Call Quality Dashboard, call analytics, PSTN usage records, and Teams admin reporting. It also enables phased migration: a company can pilot a department, port numbers later, and mix PSTN connectivity models by country or site.

How Teams Phone connects to the PSTN

Teams Phone becomes a full business calling solution when it is connected to the PSTN. In 2026, most organizations evaluate four main options, and many multinational deployments use more than one.

Microsoft Calling Plans are Microsoft-provided PSTN services available in supported countries and regions. They are often the simplest cloud-first option because Microsoft provides the numbers and calling service. They are a good fit when coverage, number availability, emergency calling requirements, and pricing match your locations.

Operator Connect lets you select a participating telecom operator from the Teams admin center and connect that operator’s PSTN service to Teams. It can simplify carrier management compared with customer-managed SBC infrastructure, while still allowing organizations to work with approved operators in supported markets.

Direct Routing connects Teams Phone to a certified Session Border Controller (SBC). The SBC can be on-premises, hosted, or provided as a managed service. Direct Routing is often used when an organization needs to keep existing carrier contracts, support complex voice routing, integrate with legacy PBX systems, connect analog devices, meet special regulatory requirements, or operate in countries where Calling Plans or Operator Connect are not a fit.

Teams Phone Mobile integrates a user’s mobile number with Teams through participating mobile operators. It can be useful for mobile-first employees because the same mobile identity can work across the native mobile dialer and Teams, subject to operator availability and regional support.

Microsoft also supports shared calling patterns for certain low-usage users who need outbound and inbound PSTN access but do not require a dedicated direct phone number. This still requires correct Teams Phone licensing and policy design, and it must be planned carefully for emergency callback and caller ID behavior.

Because availability, regulatory rules, emergency calling, number porting, toll-free services, and billing vary by country, always validate current coverage on Microsoft Learn: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/country-and-region-availability-for-audio-conferencing-and-calling-plans and with your selected operator or Microsoft CSP partner.

Licensing and CSP/NCE planning

Teams Phone licensing depends on the Microsoft 365 plan, region, and PSTN connectivity model. Common components include Teams Phone Standard as an add-on or included entitlement in certain enterprise suites, Teams Phone with Calling Plan bundles where available, domestic or international calling plans, pay-as-you-go or usage-based calling options where supported, and resource account licensing for auto attendants and call queues.

Under the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program and New Commerce Experience (NCE), organizations should plan license terms, seat counts, add-ons, cancellation windows, and growth carefully. Voice licensing is operationally sensitive: if a user, resource account, or location is missing the right license or policy, calling may not work as expected.

Also account for regional Microsoft 365 and Teams bundling changes. In some markets, Teams may be licensed separately from Microsoft 365 or Office 365 suites. Audio Conferencing, dial-out, toll-free, and communication usage billing should be reviewed for the specific tenant and country.

A practical licensing review should answer: Who needs a dedicated number? Who only needs internal Teams calling? Which users need domestic or international PSTN calling? Which locations need service numbers? Are auto attendants and call queues licensed correctly? Are emergency locations and policies configured before numbers go live?

User calling features that matter day to day

Teams Phone includes the business calling features users expect from a modern phone system:

• Dial pad and contacts for placing calls from Teams.
• Call history and voicemail in Teams and Outlook, depending on mailbox configuration.
• Cloud Voicemail with Exchange Online integration, transcription where supported, and Microsoft Purview retention/eDiscovery capabilities when configured.
• Call forwarding and simultaneous ring for mobile or delegate coverage.
• Delegation and call-on-behalf for executive/admin scenarios.
• Transfer and consultative transfer for warm handoffs.
• Call park and retrieve for shared environments.
• Shared line appearance and shared calling scenarios where appropriate.
• Spam and caller ID controls to improve trust and reduce nuisance calls.
• Certified Teams devices for users who prefer desk phones, common-area phones, headsets, or room systems.

Meeting transcription, intelligent recap, and Microsoft 365 Copilot or Teams Premium capabilities can improve meeting follow-up where licensed, but organizations should distinguish between meeting features and PSTN calling features. Recording, transcription, retention, and consent requirements vary by region and industry.

Auto attendants, call queues, and service numbers

Auto attendants and call queues allow organizations to route callers to the right department, team, person, shared voicemail, or recorded message.

Modern Teams Phone designs commonly include resource accounts, business hours, holiday schedules, menu options, greetings, music on hold, overflow rules, timeout rules, authorized users, shared voicemail, reporting, and queue membership through users, groups, or Teams channels where appropriate.

Phone numbers for these services can come from Microsoft, Operator Connect, or Direct Routing depending on configuration, country, and carrier model. Toll-free numbers and high-volume call scenarios require special billing and capacity planning. Do not assume that a user phone number and a service number behave the same way; service numbers, routing policies, and resource account licensing should be reviewed before porting production numbers.

Emergency calling, compliance, and security

Voice migrations must include emergency calling and compliance design, not just number porting.

For emergency calling, plan emergency addresses, location information, network-based location detection where supported, emergency call routing, notification policies, emergency callback behavior, and testing procedures. Requirements vary by country, state, province, and industry, so legal and telecom stakeholders should be involved early.

For compliance, Teams Phone works with Microsoft 365 security and compliance capabilities such as retention, eDiscovery, audit, and mailbox-based voicemail storage when configured. Regulated organizations may also require certified compliance recording, contact center recording, data residency review, or specific consent announcements. These requirements should be validated before rollout.

Identity and access should be managed through Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, MFA, least-privilege admin roles, and controlled Teams admin delegation. Voice administrators should also protect SBCs, carrier portals, emergency address management, and PowerShell automation with strong operational controls.

Network and device readiness

Teams Phone quality depends heavily on network readiness. Before porting production numbers, validate bandwidth, latency, jitter, packet loss, firewall and proxy configuration, DNS, VPN split tunneling, Quality of Service (QoS), Wi-Fi coverage, and device quality.

Use Teams-certified headsets, phones, and room devices where possible. For Direct Routing, use Microsoft-certified SBCs and supported firmware. For branch offices with limited connectivity or strict uptime needs, evaluate survivability options such as Survivable Branch Appliance scenarios and local calling continuity requirements.

A recommended migration path is: assess the network, choose the PSTN model, design emergency calling, configure policies, pilot with a small group, validate call quality and support processes, then port numbers in controlled waves.

Administration and reporting

Most day-to-day administration is performed in the Teams admin center, with automation available through the Microsoft Teams PowerShell module and Microsoft Graph where supported. Administrators can manage users, phone numbers, voice routing policies, emergency policies, call queues, auto attendants, resource accounts, devices, and reporting.

For operations, use Call Quality Dashboard for aggregate quality trends, call analytics for troubleshooting specific calls and meetings, PSTN usage reports for calling activity, and Teams admin center health and device views for monitoring. For larger deployments, establish voice operations processes: change control for routing policies, number inventory management, porting runbooks, emergency address governance, SBC monitoring, and periodic license reviews.

Choosing the right Teams Phone architecture

There is no single best PSTN architecture for every organization.

Choose Microsoft Calling Plans when you want the simplest Microsoft-provided PSTN option and your countries, number types, emergency requirements, and pricing are supported.

Choose Operator Connect when you want a carrier-managed model with approved operators and streamlined Teams admin integration.

Choose Direct Routing when you need maximum flexibility, existing carrier contracts, legacy PBX coexistence, analog device support, custom routing, or country coverage not met by other options.

Choose Teams Phone Mobile for eligible mobile-first users when a participating operator supports your region and mobility requirements.

Use a mixed model when different countries, offices, or user groups have different regulatory, cost, coverage, or operational needs. This is common for global organizations.

Key takeaways

• Microsoft Teams Phone is the modern cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams; older “Phone System” terminology may still appear, but Teams Phone is the current product direction.
• PSTN connectivity now includes Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, Direct Routing, Teams Phone Mobile, and shared calling patterns for selected use cases.
• Licensing should be reviewed under current CSP/NCE rules, including Teams Phone add-ons, Calling Plans, resource accounts, usage billing, and regional Teams bundling changes.
• Emergency calling, compliance recording, voicemail retention, network readiness, certified devices, and call quality monitoring are essential parts of a successful voice migration.
• Most organizations benefit from a pilot-first migration plan before porting production numbers from a legacy PBX or carrier.

Planning a move from legacy PBX to Microsoft Teams Phone? IT Partner can help assess licensing, PSTN options, network readiness, emergency calling, Direct Routing or Operator Connect design, number porting, and ongoing Microsoft 365 voice support.