Telephony over Teams guidance for IT support staff (ITSS) and telephone coordinators

Notice: Telephony replacement project

In response to BT switching off analogue lines in January 2027, the Telephony Replacement Project is currently coordinating the replacement of centrally managed analogue and critical phone lines.  In future (likely later in 2025) the project will also be reviewing the Chorus VOIP (digital line) service. For more information see the Telephony replacement project webpage.

 

If you can't find the information you need, please report a telephony problem using the button on the right-hand side of this page.

There is also a Chorus User Group Teams channel to ask for information, to request access to this please do this via the 'Report Telephony Problem' button as well. 

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Telephony over Teams is charged in the same way as Chorus telephony, so if a unit wishes to give a number to a student or postgrad, they can do so out of their spare numbers.The cost to the unit is the same, regardless of Teams or Chorus, staff or student. 

Yes. Other phones, including non-person phones, such as lifts, lodges, meeting rooms and critical and analogue lines still need a system to run on.

Non-person extensions and shared space phones can exist on Chorus.  We are investigating Common Area Phones on Telephony over Teams.

No.  We would suggest keeping a stock of handsets locally for use if users wish to move back to Chorus and for breakages.

Yes, if someone needs to make external phone calls using their University number whilst working from home, then they will need to move to Telephony over Teams

Please see the Managing Telephony over Teams and Chorus page for further information.

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No, unless you want to have a physical Chorus phone too (perhaps to forward calls between the two). If you migrate your number, you will be able to use Telephony in Teams, but not a Chorus phone.

Yes, we expect there will be movement back and forth. You can assign users to Teams or Chorus via Phoneman.

They are staying on Chorus, although we are looking into how Common Area Phones might work on Telephony over Teams.

A 2N Intercom dialling a Chorus phone will work, and pass video. 2N intercoms will also work with Telephony over Teams, but with no video.

Users on Chorus can still hold ad hoc teleconferences on their phones; however, scheduling teleconferences is no longer possible. This should be done through Teams. You can invite external (non-University) attendees to a Teams meeting by using their email address

Please see the Telephony over Teams: getting started page for further information.

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Individuals can block calls in the Teams client. Please see How to block a nuisance number in Teams.  Chorus are able to block calls system wide if the request is submitted via the University's Security Services, as per the advice on our nuisance calls page.

 

Teams has a built in voicemail client, with a transcription service. So long as the recording is clear enough, the transcription is sent through to the user via email. Messages can be listened to through the Teams client.

Yes. You can set the authentication method as phone, and enter your Teams number, and then your Teams client will ring.  However, you are strongly advised not to rely on this as your only MFA method - here is guidance for setting up another method

Project (secondary) accounts don't have their own Teams license so it's not possible to have Telephony over Teams in this case.

 

Yes, you can use the browser Teams client on desktops and laptops.

You can always call 999 from a Telephony over Teams line, as long as you have an internet connection, but the handler will not get your location.

Yes, you can only use Telephony over Teams on your mobile if you install the Teams app and use that to make and receive calls. However, you can set your notifications to only notify you about calls, and not any other messages from Teams, if you want.

They can take calls on their University number while logged onto their University account.

Yes, calls will go to voicemail during this period, unless you also have Teams installed on another device such as a mobile phone, in which case it would ring on that device.

For the time being, please fill in the Change Telephony over Teams Settings Service Request to request a change to dialling permissions.

 

We are planning to incorporate this into Phoneman in due course.

No. The you will make and receive calls from your University number through the app. Your personal number is never shared.

You can be signed into a maximum of five devices at once.

Please see the Telephony over Teams: group working page for further information.

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All members of the team will have to move to ToT, along with the pilot number.

A single point of contact such as an enquiries line, reception, or support team is best served by moving to Telephony over Teams and setting up a Call Queue (known on Chorus as a Hunt Group). Team members can be assigned calls according to their availability, and will be able to handle calls remotely using either the Desktop Client or their mobile device.

Yes, but you and all the Executives will need to move to Telephony over Teams, you can't manage someone else's phone if you are using Telephony over Teams and they have a Chorus phone.

Please report a telephony problem using the button on the right-hand side of this page and a member of the technical team will advise on a case-by-case basis. For EA groups to function effectively, all parties must be on the same telephony platform.

The Teams "incoming call" notification will tell you which call queue an incoming call is for.

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Yes, further details will be circulated when available.

No. You can't take payments on the existing phone system.  There is a PCI-DSS project ongoing to address how to take card payments taken over the telephone at the university.

The same thing as happens at the moment - the telephone co-ordinator can unassign the user or choose to allow them to take their number to the new unit.

Please see this Microsoft information on the firewall rules required.

The following URLs need to be excluded from web proxies:

Purpose

URLs To Be Excluded

Web Proxy Exceptions

*.lync.com, *.skype.com, *.teams.microsoft.com, teams.microsoft.com, *.broadcast.skype.com, broadcast.skype.com, quicktips.skypeforbusiness.com, *.sfbassets.com, *.urlp.sfbassets.com, skypemaprdsitus.trafficmanager.net, *.keydelivery.mediaservices.windows.net, *.msecnd.net, *.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net, ajax.aspnetcdn.com, mlccdn.blob.core.windows.net, aka.ms, amp.azure.net, *.users.storage.live.com, *.adl.windows.com, *.skypeforbusiness.com, *.dc.trouter.io, scsinstrument-ss-us.trafficmanager.net, scsquery-ss-asia.trafficmanager.net, scsquery-ss-eu.trafficmanager.net, scsquery-ss-us.trafficmanager.net, *.msedge.net, compass-ssl.microsoft.com, *.mstea.ms, *.secure.skypeassets.com, mlccdnprod.azureedge.net, videoplayercdn.osi.office.net, *.tenor.com