Microsoft Teams Phone gives businesses two main ways to connect calling to Teams: Calling Plans or Direct Routing. The better option depends on how your team calls, where your users are located, and how much control you need over your phone environment. Pathway Communications sets up and manages Microsoft Teams Phone for Canadian businesses already using Microsoft 365, starting with that decision before recommending a specific configuration.
Microsoft Teams Phone for Business
Calling Plan or Direct Routing. We help you pick before you buy either.
Microsoft Teams Calling Plans
A Microsoft Teams Phone with Calling Plan is the simpler of the two paths. Microsoft bills you directly for a domestic or international calling plan attached to each user, and there is no separate carrier contract or hardware to manage. It can be a practical option for businesses with straightforward calling requirements that want to keep calling and licensing within the Microsoft environment without managing a separate carrier arrangement.
Direct Routing
Direct Routing connects Teams to a carrier of your choice through a session border controller, giving businesses more flexibility over carrier selection, calling rates and call routing across locations. Pathway Communications has operated business internet and long-distance telecom services in Canada since 1995. For some organisations, particularly those with higher call volumes or international calling requirements, Direct Routing can provide more favourable calling economics than a Calling Plan.
Which One Actually Fits
The right choice depends more on calling patterns than headcount. Calling Plans can make sense when users have straightforward domestic calling requirements, while Direct Routing can become more attractive when call volumes, international calling, multiple offices or routing requirements increase. Some businesses also use a combination of both. Pathway assesses your actual calling requirements and, where available, call data before recommending the most practical and cost-effective configuration.
What Pathway Manages
Because Teams Phone depends on the Microsoft 365 environment underneath it, Pathway can manage the calling configuration alongside your existing Microsoft 365 setup. Our deployment services include number porting, E911 configuration, call routing and testing on your network before go-live. We also provide ongoing support after deployment, giving your team a single provider for Microsoft 365 and business calling where both services are managed by Pathway.
Start Here
Tell us roughly how many users need calling, where they call most often and whether you already have a carrier or phone system in place. We use that information to compare Calling Plans and Direct Routing against your actual requirements and provide a written recommendation before deployment.
What our customer says
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Microsoft 365 to use Teams Phone?
Teams Phone works with Microsoft Teams as part of an eligible Microsoft 365 or Office 365 environment. Pathway Communications can configure Teams Phone as part of a new Microsoft 365 deployment or add calling to a tenant we already manage.
How many users do we need before Direct Routing makes sense?
There is no fixed user threshold. The better option depends on call volume, destinations, existing carrier arrangements, locations and the level of routing control you need. Pathway can compare the two options using your actual calling requirements rather than applying a standard user-count rule.
Can some users be on a calling plan while others use Direct Routing?
Yes. Some organisations use a combination of Calling Plans and Direct Routing based on user requirements, locations or calling patterns. Pathway Communications can configure and manage both within the same Microsoft 365 environment.
