Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

VoIP or IP phone service enables calls and capabilities such as video calling and conferencing through an internet connection and replaces traditional phone service.
A person wearing a headset and smiling at their computer.
A person wearing a Bluetooth earpiece and using their mobile device.

How VoIP works

VoIP uses voice over IP technology to convert signals from analog to digital before transmitting them over the internet. VoIP phones and devices work in conjunction with a voice or video calling app.

Devices designed for VoIP

There are a wide variety of devices that enable VoIP calls (voice and video), video conferencing, and online collaboration—everything from headsets and speakerphones to cameras and displays.
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A person with a laptop sitting in a meeting room on a Teams video call with other participants.

Video calling and conferencing with VoIP

Two features enabled by VoIP phone systems and service are video calling and conferencing including groups calls and meetings. Share and collaborate face-to-face even if you’re continents apart.

Managing calls with VoIP

Cloud-based VoIP phone systems attend to incoming calls automatically—routing them to the right place—and provide features for call management such as voicemail, call blocking, and number lookup.
A person wearing a headset looking at two monitors.
A person sitting in their office using a mobile phone.

Get peace of mind from VoIP call reliability

VoIP is as reliable as your internet connection. So aside from a service interruption, you should experience high-quality calling including video and conferencing calls virtually around the clock.

Setting up VoIP is simple

Switching from traditional business phone system to a VoIP phone system is relatively easy. Your internet provider will help you get started once you decide on the devices, apps, and features you want.
A person sitting at their desk wearing headphones on a Teams video call.

Features to consider with VoIP

Auto attendant

Routes incoming calls based on custom settings such as time, location, and availability.

Contact center integration

Works seamlessly with your contact center app.

Calling plans¹

Establishes new phone numbers or connects your existing phone numbers.

Cloud voicemail

Messaging service that works anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

Compatible devices

It’s essential that your VoIP phone service works with the devices and apps you want.

Call queues

Works with auto attendant and provides greetings, hold messaging and music, and voicemail.

Ready to get started with Microsoft Teams

Plans and pricing

See what customers are saying about Microsoft Teams

“We wanted to give everyone the ability to make calls through Teams, which is providing 80% cost savings. It’s even more valuable that our people can take important calls from anywhere and at any time using any of their assigned technologies.”

 

Bill Wyatt

CIO, State of Georgia, Office of the State Treasurer

“The clarity and quality of the Teams audio is great, and the user interface is really friendly. It’s also much more resilient when it comes to transitioning between Wi-Fi and cellular data—we no longer lose calls because we have to leave our desks.”

 

Nathan Hieber

IT Director of Workplace Technologies, Arrow Electronics

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Simply put, VoIP enables telephone calls using the internet instead of a traditional telephone network.

There are many advantages of VoIP phone service. It lowers costs, works well anywhere there’s a reliable internet connection, provides more capabilities than traditional phone service, is highly scalable, and is easy to install, configure, and maintain.

For businesses the most popular reasons to switch from traditional phone service to VoIP are cost savings, reliability, scalability, and added calling capabilities such as video calling and conferencing.

Yes. Setting up VoIP for business does require VoIP calling software (an app or application), VoIP-enabled devices, a VoIP phone system, and a reliable internet connection. Learn more and get started here.

For individuals, most mobile devices allow VoIP calling simply by switching from LTE to Wi-Fi calling in your device settings. Then, when you’re connected to Wi-Fi, your calls will be made using an internet provider versus through your wireless carrier network.

1. Availability of Audio Conferencing and Calling plans varies by country/region. See countries and regions that are supported for more information.