Microsoft 365 Audio Conferencing: who needs a licence
Microsoft 365 Audio Conferencing
per user per month, excluding VAT
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Audio Conferencing lets people join a Microsoft Teams meeting from a telephone over the public network, which is what puts a dial-in number and conference ID on the invitation. The licensing rule is narrower than most buyers expect, and in your favour: only the people who schedule or host meetings need a licence. Attendees who dial in need nothing. It does not require a Teams Phone licence either. Microsoft 365 and Office 365 E5 already include it. On E3, E1, and the Business Basic, Standard and Premium plans it is an add-on.
What it is
Audio Conferencing, also called dial-in or PSTN conferencing, allows a participant to join a Teams meeting by calling a telephone number instead of using the Teams application. Buying it is what makes a dial-in number, a conference ID and a "find a local number" link appear on every meeting invitation.
Who actually needs a licence
Only the organiser. A licence is required for each person who schedules or hosts a dial-in meeting; attendees who dial in need no licence at all. On a hundred-person organisation where ten people run meetings, that is ten licences, not a hundred. It also does not require a Teams Phone licence.
Check whether you already have it
Microsoft 365 and Office 365 E5 already include Audio Conferencing. The add-on is for plans that do not: Microsoft 365 E3 and Office 365 E3, E1, and Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium.
Key capabilities
- Dial-in access to Teams meetings over the public telephone network
- Local dial-in numbers assigned to the organisation and included on invitations
- International dial-in numbers where available for the organisation's country
- Dial-out from within a meeting to bring another caller in
- Dedicated numbers, which are only available to your organisation and whose prompt languages you control, or shared numbers, which are not
What is not covered by the per-user licence
Toll-free numbers and international dial-out may require Communications Credits or pay-as-you-go billing. Microsoft recommends assigning Communications Credits to the same users, and there is a separate pay-per-minute Audio Conferencing offer for organisations that would rather pay for all usage by the minute than by the seat.
Useful limits
A meeting where users joined through the Teams application or dialled in ends after 30 hours with no change to the attendee list. Where everyone dialled in and nobody used a PIN, and anonymous users may start meetings, the meeting ends after four hours.
Do all my users need a licence?
No. Only the people who schedule or host dial-in meetings. Attendees who dial in need no licence, so the count is the number of meeting organisers, not headcount.
Do I already have it?
If the tenant is on Microsoft 365 or Office 365 E5, yes. The add-on is for E3, E1 and the Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium plans.
Do I need Teams Phone as well?
No. Audio Conferencing does not require a Teams Phone licence. Teams Phone is for making and receiving ordinary telephone calls, which is a different requirement.
Are toll-free numbers and dial-out included?
Not necessarily. Toll-free numbers and international dial-out may require Communications Credits or pay-as-you-go billing. Microsoft recommends assigning Communications Credits to the same users.
What is the difference between dedicated and shared dial-in numbers?
Dedicated numbers are available only to your organisation and you can change the languages used when someone calls them. Shared numbers can be used by other Microsoft 365 organisations and their prompt languages are fixed.
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Category
- Comms
- Type
- SaaS
- Billing
- Monthly
- Commitment
- 1-Year
- Available terms
- 1-Year, Monthly
- SKU
- MST-NCE-WER-A100
Add-ons Pax8 lists for this licence.
- 1You request the licence, or add it to the cart.
- 2I confirm price, term and seats, and check your VAT number in VIES. Businesses in the EU only.
- 3You pay before we provision, under the CSP Marketplace Terms. The invoice comes from Michal Jatczak, a sole trader registered in Malta, trading as ITSailor. Reverse charge for an EU VAT number that validates in VIES.
- 4Your authorised signatory accepts the Microsoft Customer Agreement before activation.
- 5I place the order with Pax8 within one business day of payment.