Teams Phone Standard + Calling Plan (or M365 E5 + Calling Plan)
User needs Teams Phone with Direct Routing
Teams Phone Standard (or M365 E5) — no Calling Plan needed
User needs Teams Phone with Operator Connect
Teams Phone Standard (or M365 E5) — operator provides connectivity
User needs Audio Conferencing
Audio Conferencing add-on (or M365 E5)
User needs Teams Premium features
Teams Premium add-on
Frontline worker with Shared Calling
Teams Phone Standard + Shared Calling policy
Device & Room Licenses
Device Type
License
Common area phone
Common Area Phone license
Teams Rooms (≤25 rooms)
Teams Rooms Basic (free)
Teams Rooms (unlimited + management)
Teams Rooms Pro
Resource account (AA/CQ)
Teams Phone Resource Account (free)
Resource account with phone number
+ Virtual User or Calling Plan license
What M365 E5 Includes (vs. E3)
Feature
E3
E5
Teams Phone
❌
✅
Audio Conferencing
❌
✅
Teams Premium
❌
❌ (separate add-on)
Calling Plans
❌
❌ (separate add-on)
🖥️ Admin Portals Quick Reference
Task
Portal
Create meeting policy
Teams Admin Center
Assign phone number to user
Teams Admin Center → Voice → Phone numbers
Create auto attendant
Teams Admin Center → Voice → Auto attendants
Create call queue
Teams Admin Center → Voice → Call queues
Assign license to user
M365 Admin Center
Configure Conditional Access for room accounts
Microsoft Entra Admin Center
View tenant-wide call quality
Call Quality Dashboard (cqd.teams.microsoft.com)
View per-user call analytics
Teams Admin Center → Users → select user
Monitor Teams Rooms
Teams Rooms Pro Management portal (portal.rooms.microsoft.com)
Manage device compliance
Microsoft Intune (intune.microsoft.com)
Manage SBC health
Teams Admin Center → Voice → Direct Routing
Configure bookable desks
Microsoft Places
⌨️ Essential PowerShell Commands
Phone Number Management
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10
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# View phone number assignmentsGet-CsPhoneNumberAssignment# Assign number (Calling Plan)Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment-Identityuser@domain.com-PhoneNumber"+14255551234"-PhoneNumberTypeCallingPlan# Assign number (Direct Routing)Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment-Identityuser@domain.com-PhoneNumber"+14255551234"-PhoneNumberTypeDirectRouting# Remove numberRemove-CsPhoneNumberAssignment-Identityuser@domain.com-PhoneNumber"+14255551234"-PhoneNumberTypeDirectRouting
# View all calling policiesGet-CsTeamsCallingPolicy# Create custom calling policyNew-CsTeamsCallingPolicy-Identity"Restricted"-AllowPrivateCalling$true-AllowCallForwardingToPhone$false# Assign policy to userGrant-CsTeamsCallingPolicy-Identityuser@domain.com-PolicyName"Restricted"# Assign policy to groupNew-CsGroupPolicyAssignment-GroupId"group-id"-PolicyTypeTeamsCallingPolicy-PolicyName"Restricted"-Rank1
🔗 Voice Routing Chain (Direct Routing)
flowchart LR
A["1. User Dials\nNumber"] --> B["2. Dial Plan\n(Normalize to E.164)"]
B --> C["3. Voice Routing\nPolicy (user)"]
C --> D["4. PSTN Usage\nRecord"]
D --> E["5. Voice Route\n(Pattern Match)"]
E --> F["6. PSTN Gateway\n(SBC)"]
F --> G["7. PSTN\n(Carrier)"]
Key rule: Dial plans normalize. Voice routing policies route. These are two separate, sequential steps.
🚨 Emergency Calling Quick Reference
Component
Purpose
Connectivity
Emergency address
Physical civic address
All
Place
Floor/wing within address
All
LIS
Maps network → location
All (required for dynamic)
Emergency calling policy
Security desk notification
All
Emergency call routing policy
SBC routing for 911/112
Direct Routing only
Emergency dial mask
Test number (e.g., 933)
Direct Routing
🏢 Teams Rooms Decision Matrix
Room Size
Platform
License
Key Peripherals
Focus (1–2)
Teams display / personal device
N/A
Monitor, webcam
Small (2–6)
Android
Basic or Pro
Soundbar, touch console
Medium (6–12)
Windows or Android
Pro recommended
Camera, mics, display(s)
Large (12+)
Windows
Pro
PTZ camera, ceiling mics, dual displays, content camera
BYOD
N/A (user laptop)
Room mailbox only
Display, USB peripherals
⚠️ Top Exam Traps
Licensing Traps
Trap
Correct Answer
“M365 E5 includes everything for calling”
No — E5 includes Teams Phone + Audio Conferencing, but NOT Calling Plans
“Teams Rooms Basic is free for all rooms”
No — limited to 25 rooms per tenant
“Resource accounts for AA/CQ are always free”
Free license, but need Calling Plan or Virtual User license for a phone number
“Teams Premium is included in E5”
No — it’s always a separate add-on
“Communication Credits are optional”
Required for toll-free numbers and international dial-out
Technical Traps
Trap
Correct Answer
“Dial plans route calls”
No — dial plans only normalize numbers; voice routing policies route calls
“Media bypass works everywhere”
No — requires specific network topology (user and SBC on same network segment)
“SIP Gateway gives full Teams experience”
No — SIP devices get basic calling features only
“Content camera works on Android”
No — content camera is Windows only
“Proximity join uses Wi-Fi”
No — proximity join uses Bluetooth
“Emergency call routing policy is for all connectivity”
No — only for Direct Routing; Calling Plans/Operator Connect handle it automatically
Configuration Traps
Trap
Correct Answer
“Room accounts need MFA”
They should be excluded from MFA policy with compensating controls
“GPO applies normally to Teams Rooms on Windows”
No — specific GPO exclusions are needed to avoid breaking the device
“Auto attendant Application ID = Call Queue Application ID”
No — they have different Application IDs
“Meeting policies apply to meetings”
Meeting policies are assigned to users, not meetings
“Webinar is a separate product”
No — webinar is a meeting type controlled by meeting policies
✅ Pre-Exam Checklist
Domain 1 — Plan & Design (20–25%)
Can explain all PSTN connectivity options and when to use each
Know meeting types (meeting, webinar, town hall, virtual appointment)