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Audio conferencing within MS Teams, allowing users to join meetings by phone

28 Sep 2022

From 5 October University colleagues will be able to facilitate audio-only conference calls, with users that are dialling in outside of the Teams app

Audio conferencing

When switched on, colleagues with the appropriate Microsoft licence will have the ability to host audio conferencing whilst running a Teams meeting. This will allow those invited to a meeting to join by phone without using the Teams app, dialling into a phone number provided in the meeting invitation. Colleagues will not need to do anything, the dialling-in information required will automatically be created when you set up a meeting in Outlook.

To review if this new feature applies to you, simply look up the type of Microsoft licence that has been assigned to you. This is applicable to all those with a Microsoft 365 A5 for faculty licence.

The benefits of this additional feature include that you can now join a meeting “hands free” using a Bluetooth-enabled device, (such as a wireless headset), supporting colleagues to work anywhere, whether on campus or offsite. Colleagues with this audio function will find that it can work well where internet connectivity is limited, and the call quality can be better. It will also allow people from outside the University, who do not have Teams, to dial into meetings.

It is important to highlight that most colleagues can use Teams as standard and may not need this additional feature. The main benefit of this new addition is that it provides the opportunity for those not on Teams (at the time) to join a meeting, allowing up to 1,000 phone attendees.