Verizon Launches Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile

July 12, 2023
4 min read

In January 2023, Verizon made a groundbreaking move by announcing its support for Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile, solidifying its position as the first mobile carrier in North America to offer this service. This significant development marks a new era in communication and collaboration, enabling users to leverage Microsoft Teams on their mobile devices while benefiting from Verizon's reliable and secure network.

Introduction to Microsoft Teams Telephony

Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile is an innovative feature designed to enhance communication and collaboration within the platform. Users can make and receive voice and video calls directly within Teams, eliminating the need for external calling applications. Teams telephony is also seamlessly integrated with Microsoft 365, providing users with a unified platform for managing tasks, scheduling meetings, and collaborating on documents.

Teams telephony offers the following:

  • One-to-one and group calls
  • Video conferencing capabilities
  • Call forwarding and transferring
  • Voicemail and call recording
  • Integration with Outlook for scheduling and joining meetings

Benefits of Teams Mobile Devices

Using Teams on mobile devices provides users with numerous benefits. Users can stay connected with their colleagues, partners, and clients from anywhere, at any time for real-time communication and collaboration, so teams can work together effectively even when they are geographically dispersed.

Teams Phone Mobile enables users to chat, call, and share documents directly from their mobile devices for more efficiency while on-the-go, leading to improved productivity and better work-life balance.

Partnership Between Verizon and Microsoft

Verizon's announcement to support Teams Phone Mobile is a result of a strategic partnership between the two tech giants. By aligning with Microsoft 365, Verizon — with its robust and reliable network — demonstrates its commitment to delivering a superior Teams experience to its customers. This collaboration ensures that Verizon's network is optimized to support the unique requirements of Teams on mobile devices, for a fully integrated communication solution.

As part of the partnership, Verizon customers can enjoy access to Teams Pro features, such as advanced meeting capabilities, real-time analytics, and enhanced security. These features enable businesses to collaborate more effectively and make data-driven decisions, ultimately improving productivity and performance.

Verizon's advanced network infrastructure ensures that Teams calls and video conferences on mobile devices have clear audio and crisp video, regardless of users’ location.

Verizon's network is renowned for its reliability and security, providing users with a stable platform for their Teams mobile experience. This ensures that businesses can trust the platform to support their critical communication needs, while also protecting sensitive data and maintaining privacy.

Logos of Verizon and of Microsoft Teams on a phone.
Figure 1: Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile is a result of partnership between Verizon and Microsoft.
 | Used with permission of Verizon Business and Microsoft.

Teams-Compatible Phones

As businesses increasingly rely on Teams for communication and collaboration, having a compatible phone becomes essential for a seamless user experience. These devices are specifically designed to work with Teams telephony features, providing users with an integrated and efficient communication solution.

Teams-compatible phones must meet specific hardware and software requirements to ensure optimal performance and integration with the platform. These requirements may include support for specific audio and video codecs, compatibility with Microsoft's operating systems, and adherence to Microsoft's certification standards.

Popular Teams Phone Options

There is a wide range of Teams-compatible phones available on the market, from smartphones to desk phones. Devices are available from leading manufacturers, such as Apple, Samsung, and Google. There are also Teams-certified desk phones, like those from Yealink and Poly, offering a dedicated calling experience for users who prefer a more traditional phone setup.

Verizon's support for Teams Phone Mobile plays a crucial role in expanding the range of compatible devices and ensuring an optimal experience for users.

By collaborating with device manufacturers, Verizon ensures that a growing range of smartphones and desk phones are optimized for use with Teams on their network. This partnership allows users to choose from a wide variety of devices that best suit their needs and preferences.

The partnership between Verizon and Microsoft continues to expand the range of Teams-compatible phones, providing users with more options and a better overall experience. As businesses embrace remote work and collaboration tools, having a compatible phone and a reliable network provider like Verizon becomes increasingly important for success.

Logo of Verizon Business.
Figure 2: Verizon's support for Teams Phone Mobile expands the range of compatible devices. 
| Used with permission of Verizon Business.

Potential Impact on Business Communication and Collaboration

Verizon's support for Teams Phone Mobile represents a significant milestone in the evolution of business communication and collaboration in North America. Some would even call it a game-changing development. By partnering with Microsoft and providing access to a high-quality Teams experience on mobile devices, Verizon has positioned itself as a key player in the remote work and collaboration space.

The potential impact of this development on businesses across the region is immense, as it enables greater flexibility, enhanced productivity, and improved communication for teams, regardless of their location. As the first mobile carrier in North America to support Teams Phone Mobile, Verizon offers an exciting opportunity for users to explore the benefits of this powerful platform.

Christian Buckley

Christian Buckley

Christian is a Microsoft Regional Director (RD) and Most Valuable Professional (MVP), an award-winning product marketer, technology evangelist and host of the #CollabTalk podcast and monthly tweetjam series. Christian's 30-year tech career has included Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Evangelist for several leading SharePoint ISVs, and he was part of the Microsoft team that launched the hosted SharePoint platform in Office 365. He has worked with some of the world’s largest technology companies to build and deploy social, collaboration, and supply chain solutions, and he sold his first software startup to Rational Software in 2001. A co-author of books on both SharePoint and software configuration management (SCM), Christian is one of the most widely published names within the Microsoft ecosystem.