Not necessarily. A Microsoft Calling Plan is only one of four ways to connect Teams Phone to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), so you can reach outside phone numbers through Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, or Direct Routing instead, and you can even combine more than one.[1] Every external-calling setup does require two things: a Teams Phone license on each user, plus some PSTN connection that supplies numbers and access; the Calling Plan is Microsoft's own version of that connection, where Microsoft becomes your phone carrier.[1][6] If your people only call each other inside Teams, those calls run natively over the internet and never touch the PSTN, so no Calling Plan or any other PSTN option is needed at all.[6] A Microsoft Calling Plan makes the most sense when it is sold in your country and you want a single vendor for the software and the dial tone, and Microsoft offers Domestic, International, and Pay-As-You-Go versions.[2]
\n","summary":"A Microsoft Calling Plan is one of four ways to connect Teams Phone to the public phone network, not a requirement. Reaching outside numbers needs a Teams Phone license plus some PSTN connection, but that connection can come from Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, or Direct Routing instead. Internal Teams-to-Teams calls need no calling plan at all. Teams Phone Standard runs about $10 per user monthly; a Calling Plan bundle about $17.","publishedAt":"2026-07-18T03:39:39.77","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","editorialStatus":"APPROVED","lastReviewedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","nextReviewDueAt":"2026-10-17T00:00:00","templateVersion":"v2","aliases":["Is a Calling Plan required for Teams Phone?","Do you need a Microsoft Calling Plan for Teams Phone?","Can I use Teams Phone without a Calling Plan?","Does Teams Phone include a Calling Plan?","Teams Phone without a Calling Plan","What PSTN options can replace a Teams Calling Plan?","Teams Phone Standard vs Teams Phone with Calling Plan","How do I make external calls in Teams without a Calling Plan?","Is Operator Connect an alternative to a Calling Plan?","Do internal Teams calls need a Calling Plan?","Teams Phone Calling Plan alternatives","Is a Microsoft Calling Plan mandatory for Teams Phone?"],"confidenceScore":93,"confidenceLabel":"High","canonicalUrl":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"contributorOrganizationProfile":{"entityId":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","legalName":null,"description":null,"websiteUrl":null,"imageUrl":null,"slogan":null,"subtitle":null,"facts":[],"coiNote":null,"foundingDate":null,"numberOfEmployeesText":null,"contactPoint":null,"address":null,"headquartersText":null,"organizationType":null},"contributorPerson":{"slug":"answerstack-editorial-team","displayName":"AnswerStack Editorial Team"},"sections":[{"id":"e5aadbee-9f54-471b-aadc-0022bfe60be3","sectionKey":"what_a_calling_plan_adds","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What does a Calling Plan add to Teams Phone?","introMarkdown":"A Microsoft Calling Plan is optional, because it is one of four ways to give Teams Phone a connection to the public phone network rather than a required part of the product.[1] Teams Phone itself is the cloud phone system, the call-control and private branch exchange (PBX) layer inside Microsoft 365.[6] By default, calls between Teams users in the same organization are handled natively within Teams and never reach the PSTN, which removes carrier toll charges for anything that stays internal.[6] Reaching a landline or mobile number is where a Calling Plan, or one of its alternatives, comes in.\n\nMicrosoft keeps two pieces deliberately separate for external calling. The first is a Teams Phone license assigned to the user, which turns on the enhanced calling features and grants access to a PSTN solution.[6] The second is that PSTN solution itself, which supplies the actual phone numbers and the route to domestic, international, and emergency calling.[6] A Microsoft Calling Plan is one way to provide the second piece: Microsoft acts as your carrier and delivers the numbers, the calling minutes, emergency screening in the US, and support under a 99.999% reliability service level agreement.[1] It comes in Domestic, International, and Pay-As-You-Go versions so the minutes match how much a given user actually dials out.[2]\n\n### A Calling Plan is not the same as Teams Phone\n\nThe two get conflated often, so it helps to separate them. Teams Phone Standard, listed at $10.00 per user per month, is the phone system, and on its own it carries no minutes to the outside world.[4][3] A Microsoft Calling Plan, or an Operator Connect subscription, or Direct Routing, is the separate piece that connects that phone system to the PSTN.[3] You need the license either way; the Calling Plan is only one of the connections you can pair it with.","introHtml":"A Microsoft Calling Plan is optional, because it is one of four ways to give Teams Phone a connection to the public phone network rather than a required part of the product.[1] Teams Phone itself is the cloud phone system, the call-control and private branch exchange (PBX) layer inside Microsoft 365.[6] By default, calls between Teams users in the same organization are handled natively within Teams and never reach the PSTN, which removes carrier toll charges for anything that stays internal.[6] Reaching a landline or mobile number is where a Calling Plan, or one of its alternatives, comes in.
\nMicrosoft keeps two pieces deliberately separate for external calling. The first is a Teams Phone license assigned to the user, which turns on the enhanced calling features and grants access to a PSTN solution.[6] The second is that PSTN solution itself, which supplies the actual phone numbers and the route to domestic, international, and emergency calling.[6] A Microsoft Calling Plan is one way to provide the second piece: Microsoft acts as your carrier and delivers the numbers, the calling minutes, emergency screening in the US, and support under a 99.999% reliability service level agreement.[1] It comes in Domestic, International, and Pay-As-You-Go versions so the minutes match how much a given user actually dials out.[2]
\nThe two get conflated often, so it helps to separate them. Teams Phone Standard, listed at $10.00 per user per month, is the phone system, and on its own it carries no minutes to the outside world.[4][3] A Microsoft Calling Plan, or an Operator Connect subscription, or Direct Routing, is the separate piece that connects that phone system to the PSTN.[3] You need the license either way; the Calling Plan is only one of the connections you can pair it with.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":0},{"id":"ffa87ce1-b85a-427f-b858-1219fc83dc60","sectionKey":"when_can_you_skip","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"When can you skip a Microsoft Calling Plan?","introMarkdown":"You can skip a Microsoft Calling Plan whenever your PSTN connection comes from somewhere else, or when your users never call outside numbers at all.[1][6]\n\n### Your users only call inside Teams\n\nIf a person only talks to colleagues in Teams, they need neither a Calling Plan nor any other PSTN option, because internal Teams calls stay on the internet and never touch the phone network.[6] Most Microsoft 365 plans already allow these peer-to-peer voice and video calls within an organization, which is why teams that use Teams mainly for meetings and chat often add no calling connectivity for those users.[3]\n\n### You get your dial tone from another carrier\n\nWhen you want to keep an existing telephone provider, or your provider takes part in the Operator Connect or Teams Phone Mobile program, that carrier supplies the numbers and the connection, and you never buy a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1][3] Direct Routing goes further and lets you connect essentially any carrier through your own session border controller, so a company with an established telecom contract can bring it to Teams unchanged.[1]\n\n### Calling Plans are not sold where you operate\n\nMicrosoft sells Calling Plans in a limited set of countries, so organizations outside that footprint reach the PSTN through Operator Connect or Direct Routing instead.[5][1] Independent coverage puts the Calling Plan footprint at roughly 34 countries, concentrated in the US and Western Europe, with the other models filling in everywhere else.[8]\n\nThe one thing that never changes is this: to place or receive calls with regular phone numbers, each user still needs a Teams Phone license and exactly one PSTN path.[1][6] The real decision is which path, not whether you connect at all.","introHtml":"You can skip a Microsoft Calling Plan whenever your PSTN connection comes from somewhere else, or when your users never call outside numbers at all.[1][6]
\nIf a person only talks to colleagues in Teams, they need neither a Calling Plan nor any other PSTN option, because internal Teams calls stay on the internet and never touch the phone network.[6] Most Microsoft 365 plans already allow these peer-to-peer voice and video calls within an organization, which is why teams that use Teams mainly for meetings and chat often add no calling connectivity for those users.[3]
\nWhen you want to keep an existing telephone provider, or your provider takes part in the Operator Connect or Teams Phone Mobile program, that carrier supplies the numbers and the connection, and you never buy a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1][3] Direct Routing goes further and lets you connect essentially any carrier through your own session border controller, so a company with an established telecom contract can bring it to Teams unchanged.[1]
\nMicrosoft sells Calling Plans in a limited set of countries, so organizations outside that footprint reach the PSTN through Operator Connect or Direct Routing instead.[5][1] Independent coverage puts the Calling Plan footprint at roughly 34 countries, concentrated in the US and Western Europe, with the other models filling in everywhere else.[8]
\nThe one thing that never changes is this: to place or receive calls with regular phone numbers, each user still needs a Teams Phone license and exactly one PSTN path.[1][6] The real decision is which path, not whether you connect at all.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":1},{"id":"f3d9f6bd-21a6-4954-a76b-3595091a083e","sectionKey":"options_table","sectionType":"table_section","heading":"How can Teams Phone reach outside numbers?","introMarkdown":"Teams Phone supports four PSTN connectivity models, and a Microsoft Calling Plan is only the first of them; a single tenant can even use several at once, split by region or by type of worker.[1] The table shows who supplies your phone service under each model and whether a Microsoft Calling Plan is part of the picture. Each option is described in full below.","introHtml":"Teams Phone supports four PSTN connectivity models, and a Microsoft Calling Plan is only the first of them; a single tenant can even use several at once, split by region or by type of worker.[1] The table shows who supplies your phone service under each model and whether a Microsoft Calling Plan is part of the picture. Each option is described in full below.
\n","outroMarkdown":"Every one of these still requires a Teams Phone license on each user. The option only changes who provides the numbers and the connection to the outside network, not whether the license is needed.[1][6]","outroHtml":"Every one of these still requires a Teams Phone license on each user. The option only changes who provides the numbers and the connection to the outside network, not whether the license is needed.[1][6]
\n","contentJson":{"rows":[{"cells":["Microsoft Calling Plan","Microsoft","Yes, this option is the Calling Plan","Calling Plans are sold in your country and you want one vendor for software and dial tone [1][2]"]},{"cells":["Operator Connect","A certified third-party landline operator","No","Your preferred carrier is in the program and you want it managed for you [1]"]},{"cells":["Teams Phone Mobile","A certified mobile operator","No","You want a SIM mobile number to double as the Teams number [1]"]},{"cells":["Direct Routing","Any operator you choose","No","You need any country, an existing carrier, or legacy equipment connected [1]"]}],"columns":["Option","Who is your phone carrier","Microsoft Calling Plan needed?","Where it tends to fit"]},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":2},{"id":"af38196b-ae41-4d36-8c50-15c2f91abf61","sectionKey":"option_calling_plan","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Microsoft Calling Plan","introMarkdown":"A Microsoft Calling Plan is the option where Microsoft itself becomes your phone carrier, supplying the phone numbers, the calling minutes, US emergency screening, and support under a 99.999% reliability service level agreement.[1] You buy a Calling Plan license per user on top of the Teams Phone license, and there is no hardware to install, because everything is managed inside Microsoft 365.[1][2] The three versions match different calling patterns. A Domestic plan covers calls within the country a user's license is assigned to, an International plan adds outbound calls to 196 countries, and Pay-As-You-Go charges per minute for people who rarely dial out.[2] This tends to fit an organization in a country where Calling Plans are sold that would rather not manage a separate carrier relationship.[1] The first thing to confirm is availability, since Microsoft sells Calling Plans in a limited set of countries, and a company outside that list has to use one of the other three models.[5][1] It also helps to know that a Calling Plan is bought after the Teams Phone license, or as a combined Teams Phone with Calling Plan bundle, so it is always an addition to the phone system rather than a replacement for it.[2][3]","introHtml":"A Microsoft Calling Plan is the option where Microsoft itself becomes your phone carrier, supplying the phone numbers, the calling minutes, US emergency screening, and support under a 99.999% reliability service level agreement.[1] You buy a Calling Plan license per user on top of the Teams Phone license, and there is no hardware to install, because everything is managed inside Microsoft 365.[1][2] The three versions match different calling patterns. A Domestic plan covers calls within the country a user's license is assigned to, an International plan adds outbound calls to 196 countries, and Pay-As-You-Go charges per minute for people who rarely dial out.[2] This tends to fit an organization in a country where Calling Plans are sold that would rather not manage a separate carrier relationship.[1] The first thing to confirm is availability, since Microsoft sells Calling Plans in a limited set of countries, and a company outside that list has to use one of the other three models.[5][1] It also helps to know that a Calling Plan is bought after the Teams Phone license, or as a combined Teams Phone with Calling Plan bundle, so it is always an addition to the phone system rather than a replacement for it.[2][3]
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":3},{"id":"1972db4f-1e8f-416f-b006-267778868a6c","sectionKey":"option_operator_connect","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Operator Connect","introMarkdown":"Operator Connect lets you keep or choose a third-party carrier that has already built a certified connection into Microsoft Teams, which means you get that carrier's numbers and dial tone without buying a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1] After you pick an operator from Microsoft's directory, you enable them in the Teams admin center and assign their numbers to users, and the operator provides the PSTN access, support, and service level agreement.[1] Because the carrier owns the underlying connection, there is no voice hardware for you to run, so most of the day-to-day management sits with them rather than with your team.[1] It suits a business whose preferred carrier participates in the program, or one that needs calling in a country where Microsoft's own Calling Plan is not sold.[1] Independent coverage counts more than a hundred operators across roughly a hundred countries in the program, which is part of why many organizations reach the PSTN this way instead of through a Microsoft Calling Plan.[8] The user still needs a Teams Phone license; Operator Connect replaces the Calling Plan, not the license.[3]","introHtml":"Operator Connect lets you keep or choose a third-party carrier that has already built a certified connection into Microsoft Teams, which means you get that carrier's numbers and dial tone without buying a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1] After you pick an operator from Microsoft's directory, you enable them in the Teams admin center and assign their numbers to users, and the operator provides the PSTN access, support, and service level agreement.[1] Because the carrier owns the underlying connection, there is no voice hardware for you to run, so most of the day-to-day management sits with them rather than with your team.[1] It suits a business whose preferred carrier participates in the program, or one that needs calling in a country where Microsoft's own Calling Plan is not sold.[1] Independent coverage counts more than a hundred operators across roughly a hundred countries in the program, which is part of why many organizations reach the PSTN this way instead of through a Microsoft Calling Plan.[8] The user still needs a Teams Phone license; Operator Connect replaces the Calling Plan, not the license.[3]
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":4},{"id":"6c843dd9-1269-4d8f-b64f-1b52d6bd851d","sectionKey":"option_teams_phone_mobile","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Teams Phone Mobile","introMarkdown":"Teams Phone Mobile ties a user's SIM-enabled mobile number to their Teams identity, so a single number rings on the cellular network and inside Teams, again without a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1] It depends on certified mobile operators that have completed the integration with Microsoft, and the piece you administer is the mobile SIM, which can be an eSIM.[1] The carrier supplies the numbers, PSTN access, support, and the service level agreement, so the arrangement works much like Operator Connect but is centered on a mobile line rather than a desk line.[1] This fits mobile-first staff who would rather carry one number for the desk app and the handset than manage a separate work line and personal line.[1] Availability comes down to whether your mobile provider takes part in the Teams Phone Mobile program, so confirming that with the carrier is worth doing before you plan around it.[1] As with the other alternatives, each user still carries a Teams Phone license, which is what grants access to the mobile operator's PSTN connection.[3]","introHtml":"Teams Phone Mobile ties a user's SIM-enabled mobile number to their Teams identity, so a single number rings on the cellular network and inside Teams, again without a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1] It depends on certified mobile operators that have completed the integration with Microsoft, and the piece you administer is the mobile SIM, which can be an eSIM.[1] The carrier supplies the numbers, PSTN access, support, and the service level agreement, so the arrangement works much like Operator Connect but is centered on a mobile line rather than a desk line.[1] This fits mobile-first staff who would rather carry one number for the desk app and the handset than manage a separate work line and personal line.[1] Availability comes down to whether your mobile provider takes part in the Teams Phone Mobile program, so confirming that with the carrier is worth doing before you plan around it.[1] As with the other alternatives, each user still carries a Teams Phone license, which is what grants access to the mobile operator's PSTN connection.[3]
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":5},{"id":"567aa326-46c4-4270-9cbd-4297cfaa016b","sectionKey":"option_direct_routing","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Direct Routing","introMarkdown":"Direct Routing connects a carrier of your choice to Teams Phone through a certified session border controller (SBC) that you, an integrator, or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider runs, so it reaches the phone network without a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1][10] It is the most flexible model and the one that works in any country or region, which is why organizations use it to keep an existing carrier contract, satisfy a local regulatory requirement, or connect legacy gear such as analog devices, overhead paging, and third-party PBXs.[1] The trade-off for that flexibility is responsibility, because the SBC brings certificate management, DNS settings, call-routing policies in Teams, and last-mile circuit integration, so it asks more of your IT team or partner than the managed options do.[1] Direct Routing is also the only model that can keep local PSTN calls working through a Survivable Branch Appliance if the link to the cloud is interrupted.[1] Independent coverage describes Direct Routing and Operator Connect as the routes many enterprises take to the PSTN when a Microsoft Calling Plan is not the right fit, whether for coverage reasons or to keep a preferred carrier.[8] A Teams Phone license is still required for every user on Direct Routing.[3]","introHtml":"Direct Routing connects a carrier of your choice to Teams Phone through a certified session border controller (SBC) that you, an integrator, or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider runs, so it reaches the phone network without a Microsoft Calling Plan.[1][10] It is the most flexible model and the one that works in any country or region, which is why organizations use it to keep an existing carrier contract, satisfy a local regulatory requirement, or connect legacy gear such as analog devices, overhead paging, and third-party PBXs.[1] The trade-off for that flexibility is responsibility, because the SBC brings certificate management, DNS settings, call-routing policies in Teams, and last-mile circuit integration, so it asks more of your IT team or partner than the managed options do.[1] Direct Routing is also the only model that can keep local PSTN calls working through a Survivable Branch Appliance if the link to the cloud is interrupted.[1] Independent coverage describes Direct Routing and Operator Connect as the routes many enterprises take to the PSTN when a Microsoft Calling Plan is not the right fit, whether for coverage reasons or to keep a preferred carrier.[8] A Teams Phone license is still required for every user on Direct Routing.[3]
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":6},{"id":"ebead262-4992-4908-bb3b-7e919353b1fd","sectionKey":"cost_and_saving","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What does a Calling Plan cost, and how can you pay less?","introMarkdown":"Teams Phone Standard lists at $10.00 per user per month, and a bundle that adds a Microsoft Calling Plan runs about $17.00 per user per month, which includes 3,000 outbound domestic minutes for the US, UK, and Canada.[4][9] Standard on its own carries no minutes to the outside world, so the extra amount is what the Calling Plan connection buys you.[4][3]\n\n### Ways to spend less on outside calling\n\nThe Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan includes no bundled outbound minutes and charges per minute, funded through Communication Credits or post-usage billing, which suits users who rarely place external calls.[2] Shared Calling takes a different route to lower cost: instead of assigning a phone number to every user, many users share the phone number of a resource account tied to an auto attendant for inbound and outbound PSTN calls, so you avoid a dedicated number and plan for each light caller.[7] Those Shared Calling users still need a Teams Phone license and voice enablement, they just do not each get their own number.[7] On the Domestic and International plans, all users in the same country on the same plan draw from one shared pool of minutes, so a heavy caller and a light caller balance each other out, and any overage bills per minute or draws on Communication Credits.[2]\n\n### One cost that is easy to miss\n\nThe Teams Phone license is never the whole bill for external calling. Whether the connection is a Microsoft Calling Plan, an Operator Connect subscription, or the SBC and carrier contract behind Direct Routing, the PSTN piece is a separate line item on top of the license.[3][1] Planning only around the $10 Teams Phone Standard figure understates what a working external-calling deployment actually costs.[4]","introHtml":"Teams Phone Standard lists at $10.00 per user per month, and a bundle that adds a Microsoft Calling Plan runs about $17.00 per user per month, which includes 3,000 outbound domestic minutes for the US, UK, and Canada.[4][9] Standard on its own carries no minutes to the outside world, so the extra amount is what the Calling Plan connection buys you.[4][3]
\nThe Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan includes no bundled outbound minutes and charges per minute, funded through Communication Credits or post-usage billing, which suits users who rarely place external calls.[2] Shared Calling takes a different route to lower cost: instead of assigning a phone number to every user, many users share the phone number of a resource account tied to an auto attendant for inbound and outbound PSTN calls, so you avoid a dedicated number and plan for each light caller.[7] Those Shared Calling users still need a Teams Phone license and voice enablement, they just do not each get their own number.[7] On the Domestic and International plans, all users in the same country on the same plan draw from one shared pool of minutes, so a heavy caller and a light caller balance each other out, and any overage bills per minute or draws on Communication Credits.[2]
\nThe Teams Phone license is never the whole bill for external calling. Whether the connection is a Microsoft Calling Plan, an Operator Connect subscription, or the SBC and carrier contract behind Direct Routing, the PSTN piece is a separate line item on top of the license.[3][1] Planning only around the $10 Teams Phone Standard figure understates what a working external-calling deployment actually costs.[4]
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":7},{"id":"5c2f720a-0b98-4fc2-88b9-72de1e56f94f","sectionKey":"contributor_perspective","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"How this answer was researched","introMarkdown":"The licensing rules, connectivity options, and pricing here come primarily from Microsoft's own Teams documentation on Microsoft Learn and from the Teams Phone product page, which are the authoritative sources for how the product is licensed and connected to the phone network.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Pricing was checked against Microsoft's published figures and corroborated with an independent pricing guide current to 2026, and the point that a Microsoft Calling Plan is only one of several PSTN paths was confirmed against independent industry coverage.[4][8][9] Microsoft changes Teams licensing, pricing, and regional availability regularly, so the dollar figures, country counts, and license names here reflect what the cited pages stated on the verification date. Practitioners who deploy, administer, or support Teams Phone connectivity at scale are welcome to suggest corrections or additions, which are checked against Microsoft's primary documentation before any update.","introHtml":"The licensing rules, connectivity options, and pricing here come primarily from Microsoft's own Teams documentation on Microsoft Learn and from the Teams Phone product page, which are the authoritative sources for how the product is licensed and connected to the phone network.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Pricing was checked against Microsoft's published figures and corroborated with an independent pricing guide current to 2026, and the point that a Microsoft Calling Plan is only one of several PSTN paths was confirmed against independent industry coverage.[4][8][9] Microsoft changes Teams licensing, pricing, and regional availability regularly, so the dollar figures, country counts, and license names here reflect what the cited pages stated on the verification date. Practitioners who deploy, administer, or support Teams Phone connectivity at scale are welcome to suggest corrections or additions, which are checked against Microsoft's primary documentation before any update.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":"This answer was written and reviewed by the AnswerStack Editorial Team, which has no commercial stake in the products, companies, or methods discussed. Every claim is cited inline and verified on the dates shown.","noteHtml":"This answer was written and reviewed by the AnswerStack Editorial Team, which has no commercial stake in the products, companies, or methods discussed. Every claim is cited inline and verified on the dates shown.
\n","sortOrder":8}],"citations":[{"title":"Microsoft - PSTN connectivity options","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/pstn-connectivity","excerpt":"In order to use PSTN telephony services with Teams Phone, the user account must be licensed with the Teams Phone application and also be equipped with a PSTN solution from your PSTN service provider of choice.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"A Teams Phone license plus a PSTN solution are both required for external calls; the four PSTN connectivity models (Microsoft Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, Direct Routing); Calling Plan makes Microsoft your operator with a 99.999% SLA; a tenant can combine options; per-option f","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft"},{"title":"Microsoft Teams Calling Plans","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/calling-plans-for-office-365","excerpt":"This solution is the simplest option that connects Teams Phone to the PSTN for external calling. With this option, Microsoft acts as your PSTN carrier.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"A Calling Plan connects Teams Phone to the PSTN with Microsoft as your carrier; three types (Domestic, International up to 196 countries, Pay-As-You-Go); pooled minutes on identical plans; you buy a Teams Phone add-on license first, then a Calling Plan, or the bundle; Pay-As-You-Go funded by Communi","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn"},{"title":"Microsoft Teams add-on licenses - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-add-on-licensing/microsoft-teams-add-on-licensing","excerpt":"Teams Phone requires a separate add-on license. For Teams Phone only, buy a Teams Phone Standard license. For users to make and receive external calls using the PSTN, you'll need to choose a PSTN connectivity option as well.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Teams Phone Standard is a PBX add-on with no outbound minutes by itself; most Microsoft 365 plans allow internal peer-to-peer VoIP calls without Teams Phone; PSTN options (Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, Direct Routing, Shared Calling) each require a Teams Phone license; Teams Ph","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn"},{"title":"Microsoft Teams Phone","url":"https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/microsoft-teams-phone","excerpt":"Teams Phone Standard $10.00 user/month, paid yearly. Teams Phone with Calling Plan $17.00 user/month, paid yearly.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Teams Phone Standard $10.00 per user per month paid yearly with no calling plan included; Teams Phone with Calling Plan $17.00 per user per month including 3,000 outbound domestic minutes for US/UK/Canada; add PSTN via Calling Plans, Operator Connect, or Direct Routing; 99.999% uptime SLA","domain":"microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft"},{"title":"Country/region availability - Audio Conferencing, Calling Plans - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/calling-plan-overview","excerpt":"Use the drop-down list at the top of the page to search for a country or region and find out if Calling Plans are available for purchase for your country/region.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Calling Plans and other cloud voice features are available only in a specific set of countries and regions, which a buyer checks per country; availability drives whether a Microsoft Calling Plan is even an option","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn"},{"title":"What is Teams Phone","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/what-is-phone-system-in-office-365","excerpt":"By default, calls between Teams users in your organization are handled natively within Teams, and never go to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), removing operator toll costs for calls that stay internal to your organization.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Internal calls between Teams users are handled natively and never go to the PSTN, removing toll costs; external calling needs a Teams Phone license plus at least one PSTN operator solution, which are separate things; more than one PSTN integration is supported","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn"},{"title":"Plan for Shared Calling - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/shared-calling-plan","excerpt":"With Shared Calling, instead of assigning a phone number to every user, you use the phone number of a resource account associated with an Auto attendant for inbound and outbound PSTN calls.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Shared Calling lets many users share the phone number of a resource account tied to an auto attendant for inbound and outbound PSTN calls, reducing cost by not assigning a dedicated number to every light user; those users still need a Teams Phone license and voice enablement","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn"},{"title":"Microsoft Teams Phone & PSTN Connectivity: 4 Options Enterprise IT Need to Know","url":"https://www.pure-ip.com/blog/microsoft-teams-phone-pstn-connectivity-4-options-enterprise-it-need-to-know","excerpt":"Calling Plans are available in approximately 34 countries. For organizations contained within that footprint, primarily the US and Western Europe, with limited existing carrier commitments, this is the fastest path to deployment. Outside those markets, Calling Plans are not an option.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Independent confirmation that a Microsoft Calling Plan is one of four PSTN connectivity models and that Operator Connect and Direct Routing let organizations reach the PSTN without a Calling Plan; Calling Plans are available in roughly 34 countries, mostly the US and Western Europe","domain":"pure-ip.com","publisherName":"Pure IP"},{"title":"Microsoft Teams Phone System Pricing & Plans: Full Guide for 2026","url":"https://www.cloudtalk.io/blog/microsoft-teams-phone-system-pricing/","excerpt":"Teams Phone Standard, $10/user/month. Teams Phone with Calling Plan, $17/user/month. Standard does not include any calling minutes, but can be combined with a compatible providers' phone plan.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Independent corroboration current to 2026 that Teams Phone Standard is $10 per user per month and Teams Phone with Calling Plan is $17 per user per month, and that Standard includes no calling minutes and must have a plan added separately","domain":"cloudtalk.io","publisherName":"CloudTalk"},{"title":"More about Microsoft Teams Calling","url":"https://www.atlantech.net/blog/more-about-microsoft-teams-calling","excerpt":"Business can connect Microsoft Teams to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using a Microsoft Calling Plan or via Direct Routing.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"SUPPORTING","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Business-facing confirmation that Teams can connect to the PSTN through a Microsoft Calling Plan or through Direct Routing, so Direct Routing is an alternative to buying a Microsoft Calling Plan; corroborated by [1] and [8]","domain":"atlantech.net","publisherName":"Atlantech Online"}],"revisions":[],"relatedAnswers":[{"id":"9cfa6183-815b-4644-861d-2bfe543492cc","slug":"how-does-teams-phone-work","question":"How does Teams Phone work?","publishedAt":"2026-07-18T03:47:27.534","confidenceScore":93,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"teams-phone","label":"Teams Phone","description":"Microsoft Teams Phone: licensing, PSTN connectivity, calling plans, and setup.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Teams Phone turns Microsoft 365 into a cloud phone system: a call-control service in the cloud acts as the PBX, internal calls run over the internet, and a Teams Phone license plus a PSTN connection (Microsoft Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, or Direct Routing) let users dial real phone numbers. Admins assign numbers, voice enable users, and build auto attendants and call queues, while call audio flows over the most direct path it can find, encrypted with SRTP.","url":"/q/how-does-teams-phone-work"},{"id":"8317c7a7-d7a6-4a7c-8428-441b19177913","slug":"how-do-i-choose-a-pstn-connectivity-option-for-teams-phone","question":"How do I choose a PSTN connectivity option for Teams Phone?","publishedAt":"2026-07-18T03:43:05.249","confidenceScore":92,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"teams-phone","label":"Teams Phone","description":"Microsoft Teams Phone: licensing, PSTN connectivity, calling plans, and setup.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Teams Phone needs a PSTN connection on top of the phone license, and Microsoft offers four ways to provide it: a Microsoft Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, and Direct Routing. The right pick depends on whether Calling Plans are sold in your countries, whether you want to keep a current carrier, how much infrastructure you want to run, and any emergency-calling or continuity needs. A single tenant can combine options by region or by type of worker.","url":"/q/how-do-i-choose-a-pstn-connectivity-option-for-teams-phone"},{"id":"67fc8518-2dba-4c3b-8029-0a39c59afd28","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-teams-phone-and-a-calling-plan","question":"What is the difference between Teams Phone and a Calling Plan?","publishedAt":"2026-07-18T03:41:44.225","confidenceScore":95,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"teams-phone","label":"Teams Phone","description":"Microsoft Teams Phone: licensing, PSTN connectivity, calling plans, and setup.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Teams Phone and a Microsoft Calling Plan are two different purchases that most organizations buy together. Teams Phone is the cloud phone system, the per-user license that adds PBX features like auto attendants, call queues, and PSTN dialing. A Calling Plan is one of four ways to connect that phone system to the public phone network; it makes Microsoft your carrier and supplies the numbers and minutes. Internal Teams calls need neither, and a Calling Plan cannot work without a Teams Phone license underneath it.","url":"/q/what-is-the-difference-between-teams-phone-and-a-calling-plan"},{"id":"dc0dd213-a7d5-4cd3-95e3-5457b9308922","slug":"what-teams-phone-license-do-i-need","question":"What Teams Phone license do I need?","publishedAt":"2026-07-18T03:41:33.762","confidenceScore":93,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"teams-phone","label":"Teams Phone","description":"Microsoft Teams Phone: licensing, PSTN connectivity, calling plans, and setup.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Teams Phone licensing comes in layers. Every user needs a base Microsoft 365 or Teams subscription, then a Teams Phone license, then a PSTN connection for external calls. E5 plans already include Teams Phone; lower tiers add Teams Phone Standard at about $10 per user per month. A Microsoft Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, or Direct Routing supplies the outside line, and only the Microsoft Calling Plan route needs its own extra license.","url":"/q/what-teams-phone-license-do-i-need"}],"contributorStats":{"verifiedAnswers":224,"openDisputes":0},"schemaJson":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Question","name":"Do I need a Calling Plan with Teams Phone?","text":"Do I need a Calling Plan with Teams Phone?","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/do-i-need-a-calling-plan-with-teams-phone","answerCount":1,"datePublished":"2026-07-18T03:39:39.77","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"AnswerStack Editorial Team","worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AnswerStack"},"url":"https://www.answerstack.io/contributors/answer-stack"},"about":[{"@type":"Thing","name":"Teams Phone"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Telecommunications"}],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Not necessarily. A Microsoft Calling Plan is only one of four ways to connect Teams Phone to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), so you can reach outside phone numbers through Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, or Direct Routing instead, and you can even combine more than one.[1] Every external-calling setup does require two things: a Teams Phone license on each user, plus some PSTN connection that supplies numbers and access; the Calling Plan is Microsoft's own version of that connection, where Microsoft becomes your phone carrier.[1][6] If your people only call each other inside Teams, those calls run natively over the internet and never touch the PSTN, so no Calling Plan or any other PSTN option is needed at all.[6] A Microsoft Calling Plan makes the most sense when it is sold in your country and you want a single vendor for the software and the dial tone, and Microsoft offers Domestic, International, and Pay-As-You-Go versions.[2]","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/do-i-need-a-calling-plan-with-teams-phone","upvoteCount":0,"datePublished":"2026-07-18T03:39:39.77","dateModified":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"AnswerStack Editorial Team","worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AnswerStack"},"url":"https://www.answerstack.io/contributors/answer-stack"},"citation":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Microsoft - PSTN connectivity options","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/pstn-connectivity"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Microsoft Teams Calling Plans","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/calling-plans-for-office-365"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Microsoft Teams add-on licenses - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-add-on-licensing/microsoft-teams-add-on-licensing"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Microsoft Teams Phone","url":"https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/microsoft-teams-phone"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Country/region availability - Audio Conferencing, Calling Plans - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/calling-plan-overview"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"What is Teams Phone","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/what-is-phone-system-in-office-365"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Plan for Shared Calling - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/shared-calling-plan"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Microsoft Teams Phone & PSTN Connectivity: 4 Options Enterprise IT Need to Know","url":"https://www.pure-ip.com/blog/microsoft-teams-phone-pstn-connectivity-4-options-enterprise-it-need-to-know"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Microsoft Teams Phone System Pricing & Plans: Full Guide for 2026","url":"https://www.cloudtalk.io/blog/microsoft-teams-phone-system-pricing/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"More about Microsoft Teams Calling","url":"https://www.atlantech.net/blog/more-about-microsoft-teams-calling"}]}}}