Microsoft is launching a new voice package for Teams that will combine its SMB and enterprise offerings.
‘Teams Phone with Calling Plan’ will bring together Business Voice and Teams Calling Essentials, while also expanding the geographic reach of the combined solution.
The new offering will bundle the ability to make and receive calls in Teams with a domestic calling plan of 3,000 minutes per month in the US and Canada, and 1,200 minutes in other markets.
It will be available in 33 markets – with 30 new markets added to the three currently available with Business Voice (UK, US and Canada).
Alberto Martinez Interiano, Product Marketing Lead at Microsoft, said in a blog post:
“Teams Phone with Calling Plan delivers secure, reliable, and rich calling with features such as auto attendants, call queues, consultative transfer, and voicemail transcription, while leveraging Microsoft’s trusted cloud to deliver reliable, high-quality audio with intelligent and AI-powered capabilities”
“Customers can easily manage the solution in the same admin console as the rest of their Microsoft 365 and Office 365 services.”
Teams Phone with Calling Plan will be available via channel partners on 1 January 2022, as well as directly from Microsoft online in the US, UK and Canada on 3 January. Other regions will be given direct availability throughout January.
The Business Voice option, which is capped at 300 users, will not be available to purchase from 1 March next year, while renewals must be wrapped up by 30 June. Microsoft said that Business Voice customers do not have to take any immediate actions.
Microsoft pointed out that the new bundle includes the phone system and a domestic calling plan but not audio conferencing, because of a previously announced change.
Customers can now add audio conferencing to a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 licence for free for up to 12 months till 31 May 2022, while the feature will be added to all Teams-inclusive licences from 1 March.
