Microsoft Teams is part of a wide range of Microsoft / Office 365 licenses. The main element you get with the Teams client is the Chat, Collaboration within Teams & Channels, and the ability to do VoIP (Teams to Teams, Teams to Skype) Calling & Meetings with other Teams users within and outside of your organization. Below is a chart that shows the various licenses that include Microsoft Teams. All supported subscription plans are eligible for access to the Teams web client, desktop clients, and mobile apps.
| Small Business | Enterprise | Education | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office 365 Business Essentials | Microsoft & Office 365 Enterprise E1 | Office 365 Education | Office 365 Developer |
| Office 365 Business Premium | Microsoft & Office 365 Enterprise E3 | Office 365 Education Plus | |
| Microsoft 365 for Business | Microsoft & Office 365 Enterprise E5 | Office 365 Education E5 | |
| Microsoft & Office 365 Enterprise F1 |
Please be aware some of the security and compliance capabilities within Microsoft Teams will vary based on the security and compliance features you have available for the specific subscription you have.
For the PSTN connectivity for Calling and Meetings, it requires a few additional add-on licenses. The first license listed below is audio conferencing. Basically, this provides you with PSTN conference bridge numbers to allow individuals to join in on a Microsoft Teams meeting via the public telephone network. *Please note Microsoft & Office 365 Enterprise E5 includes Audio conferencing.
If you want to obtain or port in your public telephone numbers to assign to your users, you will need the phone system license. The phone system license will enable PBX features and provide you the ability to add telephone numbers to users, setup call queues, auto attendants, and leverage various PBX like functionality. *Please note Microsoft & Office 365 Enterprise E5 includes Phone System.
The last item, Calling Plans is an optional element. Calling plans allows you to utilize Microsoft as your telephone carrier. This service provides connectivity to the PSTN and telephone numbers. If you want to leverage a difference carrier you have the option of configuring Direct Routing using a hardware or software based Session Border Controller (SBC) that will be leveraged for the connection to the public telephone network.
| Feature | Description |
| Audio Conferencing | Sometimes people in your organization will need to use a phone to call in to a Teams meeting, instead of using their computer. Use the Audio Conferencing feature for this situation. To find out whether Audio Conferencing is available in your country or region, see Country and region availability for Audio Conferencing and Calling Plans. If you are looking for how much it costs, see Pricing for Audio Conferencing. Toll free numbers for dial-in access to your conferences, and the ability to dial out from a conference to add someone by calling any telephone number in the world requires adding Communications Credits to your account. Set up Communications Credits. |
| Phone System | A PBX is a telephone system in a business. Phone System in Office 365 is a hosted telephone service. It gives you both traditional and innovative PBX capabilities, but without the complicated and expensive equipment. Here’s what you get with Phone System in Office 365. If you are looking for how much it costs, see Phone System. |
| Calling Plans | Calls to other Teams users are free, but if you want your users to be able to call any phone numbers outside of your business, get a Calling Plan. There are Domestic Calling Plans and Domestic and International Calling Plans in Office 365. If you are looking for how much it costs, see Calling Plan Pricing. |
There are a lot of details and elements around Microsoft Teams. Check the following links below for additional details or feel free to reach out to discuss.
