Connect Cloud2026-07-04
Microsoft Teams as your phone system: can Teams replace your PBX?
Can Microsoft Teams replace your phone system? See which PBX features Teams offers, how it compares to a traditional PBX and what it costs.
Read moreConnect Cloud Solutions
Business telephony in Microsoft Teams
100% Microsoft solution for business telephony. Phone numbers, call costs and call flow entirely within Microsoft Teams — no external systems needed. Ideal for organizations that want to start calling via Teams quickly and easily.
Incoming call
+31 20 123 4567
📞
Answer
📱
Transfer
💬
Voicemail
Calling via Teams — fully Microsoft
Everything you need for professional business telephony, fully managed within Microsoft 365.
Microsoft Calling Plans
Phone numbers and calling minutes directly from Microsoft. No external SIP trunk or SBC needed — everything within Microsoft 365.
Call queues & auto attendants
Professional call handling with Microsoft call queues, IVR menus and automated responses.
Voicemail & transcription
Cloud voicemail with AI transcription delivered directly to your Outlook inbox. Never miss a message again.
Call from any device
Make and receive calls via the Teams app on laptop, smartphone or desk phone — with your business number.
Call recording
Record calls for compliance or training, with secure storage in the Microsoft cloud.
Manage via Teams Admin
Assign numbers, configure call flows and view reports — all from the familiar Teams Admin Center.
Which Teams telephony fits you?
Microsoft offers multiple options for calling via Teams. We help you make the best choice for your situation.
RECOMMENDED
Direct Routing
Connect Teams to a SIP trunk for maximum flexibility and lower call costs. Ideal in combination with uWebChat Voice contact center.
- Up to 40% lower call costs
- Keep all your numbers
- Full control over routing
- Local Dutch support
Operator Connect
Microsoft-certified connection via a telecom operator, managed from Teams Admin Center.
- Easy activation in Teams
- Managed SBC infrastructure
- Certified quality
- Fast implementation
Microsoft Calling Plans
Phone numbers and calling minutes directly from Microsoft. The simplest option to get started quickly.
- Fully Microsoft managed
- No own infrastructure
- Limited number availability
- Higher cost per minute
| Feature | Direct Routing | Operator Connect | Calling Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep existing numbers | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| Flexibility & control | ✓✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cost control | ✓✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ease of setup | ✓✓ | ✓ | ✓✓ |
| Universal Cloud support | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Best for | SMB+ wanting cost savings and control | Enterprise seeking simplicity with operator management | Small teams with low call volume |
Important: dependency on Microsoft Teams
Teams Phone with Calling Plans is a 100% Microsoft solution. This means that during a Teams outage, your organization cannot be reached by phone. For organizations where phone availability is business-critical, Direct Routing via uWebChat Voice offers more resilience: voice routing runs via a separate path and does not depend on Teams availability.
Explore uWebChat Voice with Direct RoutingContact center for Teams
Need more than just calling?
Does your organization have a reception, helpdesk or customer service team? Then you need more than standard Teams telephony.
Compare all Teams contact center solutions →
EXPLORE UWEBCHAT VOICEuWebChat Voice
- Advanced queues with skill-based routing
- Real-time wallboards and live dashboards
- Comprehensive reporting and call analytics
- CRM integration for customer context during calls
- Omnichannel: voice, webchat and WhatsApp in one inbox
- Call recording for quality and compliance
Get started quickly
Teams Phone with Microsoft Calling Plans is the fastest way to activate business telephony. No hardware, no external vendors — just Microsoft 365.
1
Activate licenses
We activate Teams Phone and Calling Plans licenses in your Microsoft 365 environment.
2
Assign numbers
Request new numbers or port existing numbers to Microsoft.
3
Set up call flow
Configure call queues, auto attendants and forwarding rules in Teams Admin Center.
4
Start calling
Your team calls directly via Teams — on laptop, smartphone or desk phone.
Why Teams Phone with Calling Plans?
- No external PBX or SBC needed
- Phone numbers and call costs via Microsoft
- Fully integrated with Microsoft 365
- Easily scalable: add a license = add a user
- Enterprise-grade security and compliance
- Work from anywhere with the same business number
How much does calling via Microsoft Teams cost?
With Microsoft Calling Plans you pay a fixed price per user per month. Phone numbers, calling minutes and management are all included in Microsoft 365.
| Component | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams Phone Standard | €9.14 /user/month | Microsoft Teams Phone Standard add-on (annual license, billed monthly). Required for calling via Teams. |
| Domestic Calling Plan | From €5.46 /user/month | Domestic calling via Microsoft (annual license, billed monthly). 120 minutes for €5.46 or unlimited domestic for €10.92 per month. |
| Teams Phone + Calling Plan bundle | €20.06 /user/month | All-in-one: Teams Phone + domestic calling in one license (annual license, billed monthly, zone 2/NL). |
Example: 25 employees
An organization with 25 employees pays approximately €365 per month separately (25 × €9.14 Teams Phone + 25 × €5.46 Calling Plan 120 min) or approximately €500 with the bundle (25 × €20.06). Teams-to-Teams calls are completely free. For organizations with contact center needs, uWebChat Voice with Direct Routing is often more cost-effective.
What do I need to call via Teams?
To start calling via Microsoft Teams, your organization needs the following:
- Microsoft 365 subscription (Business Basic or higher) for each user
- Teams Phone license (add-on, approximately €8 per user per month)
- Stable internet connection (minimum 100 kbps per concurrent call)
- Headset or IP phone (optional — calling also works via laptop or smartphone)
Teams Phone replaces your PBX
Teams Phone with Calling Plans replaces virtually any existing phone system:
Traditional PBX systems (Avaya, Cisco, Genesys)
Hosted VoIP / Cloud PBX systems
ISDN/analog phone lines
Skype for Business (end-of-life October 2025)
Ready to call via Microsoft Teams?
Start business telephony in Teams today. Schedule a call and we'll get you up and running within a day.
Frequently asked questions about Teams telephony
Everything you need to know about business calling via Microsoft Teams
Teams Phone licenses start from €8 per user per month. With Direct Routing through Universal Cloud, you save up to 40% on call costs compared to traditional telephony. Contact us for a custom quote.
Yes, through number porting, all your existing phone numbers can be transferred to Microsoft Teams Phone. The porting process takes an average of 2-3 weeks and Universal Cloud handles everything for you.
With Microsoft Calling Plans, you pay Microsoft for call minutes. With Direct Routing through Universal Cloud, you connect Teams to your own SIP trunk, which is up to 40% cheaper. Direct Routing also offers more flexibility and retention of existing numbers.
Yes, with the Microsoft Teams app on your smartphone, you can call anywhere with your business number. Incoming calls arrive on all your devices: desktop, laptop, and mobile. One number, reachable everywhere.
A standard Teams Phone implementation takes 2-4 weeks, including number porting and training. Universal Cloud handles the complete migration with minimal downtime for your organization.
Yes. With Teams Phone, Microsoft Teams becomes your complete phone system: auto attendants (IVR), transfers, call queues, voicemail and one business number for all your employees. You fully replace your physical PBX with the cloud — all management happens in Microsoft 365, without separate hardware.
Yes. With Teams business telephony you call any landline or mobile number, domestic and international, straight from the Teams app. Outbound calls show your business number and incoming calls reach desktop, laptop and mobile — ideal for hybrid work.
With a 100% Microsoft solution (Teams Phone with Calling Plans) you are unreachable by phone during a Teams outage. If you connect via uWebChat Voice with Universal Direct Routing, your numbers run over a separate path, independent of the Microsoft platform. If Teams goes down you stay reachable and reroute a number in a few clicks from your own portal — not to Teams, but straight to a mobile number or any other geographic number. So you do not depend on a single big-tech platform.
Related articles
Connect Cloud2026-04-06
Teams contact center: compare the best solutions for 2026
Which contact center fits Microsoft Teams? Compare native Call Queues, Microsoft-certified solutions and uWebChat Voice — with pros, cons, features and pricing.
Read more
Connect Cloud2026-03-03
Teams call transcription & Copilot summaries: setup guide (2026)
Auto-transcribe every Teams phone call and let Copilot write the summary. Step-by-step: which license you need, how to enable transcription, and real examples of AI-generated action items.
Read more