Microsoft Teams meetings, chat and calls between Teams users work in the UAE: TDRA lists Teams among the applications available on all UAE networks. Calling ordinary phone numbers is different. Microsoft does not sell Calling Plans in the UAE, so Teams Phone needs Direct Routing or an operator service. Listonics sets up Teams properly and plans the calling route with you.
Proof, not promises
Real reviews from Trustpilot and Google, word for word. Google rating 5.0 from 5 reviews, checked 2026-10-17.
Best team I’ve ever hired. All in one place.
As a construction company, we have a lot to manage, so finding one team that can handle our IT and digital requirements has been really helpful. Listonics has supported us with office networking, cybersecurity, website development and SEO. Their team knows what they’re doing and has been easy to work with. We no longer need to coordinate with different companies for every requirement, which saves us time and effort. Overall, it’s been a good experience, and we’re happy to have them supporting our business.
We needed a custom ERP and HR system…
We needed a custom ERP and HR system for our business, along with a new website, and Listonics helped us with all three. The team was approachable, listened to what we wanted and made the process easier than we expected. We could discuss changes directly with them, which made a big difference. It was also convenient having one team handle everything instead of dealing with multiple companies. Overall, we’re happy with how things turned out and glad we chose them.
Listonics projects run from AED 2,500 to AED 30,000 as a fixed scope; support is a fixed monthly fee with response times written into the agreement. The IT support cost guide and managed IT pricing guide set out how the numbers are built.
Does Microsoft Teams work in the UAE?
Yes, for meetings, chat, file sharing and calls between Teams users. TDRA announced, together with Etisalat and du, a set of applications available on all of the country's networks, and its published statement names Microsoft Teams first. The statement says the list was made available exceptionally and until further notice, and that TDRA reviews it from time to time, so check TDRA's website before relying on it for anything critical.
Internet calling in general is a regulated activity here, under a framework TDRA set out in its VoIP regulatory policy, version 2.0, issued in 2009. That is why the answer for a Teams meeting is not the same as the answer for a call to an ordinary phone number.
What is the difference between a Teams call and Teams Phone?
A Teams call goes from one Teams user to another over the internet, inside your own Microsoft 365 organisation or to another one. Nothing touches the public phone network.
Teams Phone is the part that connects Teams to the public telephone network, so a person can dial a mobile or a landline from Teams and be reached on a normal number. Microsoft's overview of PSTN connectivity lists the routes it supports: Calling Plans, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing. Which of those exist in a given country is the question that matters, and in the UAE the list is shorter than most guides assume.
Can you buy Microsoft Calling Plans in the UAE?
No. Microsoft's availability page for the United Arab Emirates, last updated in August 2026, answers each question directly. The summary below is taken from it; check the page itself before buying, because Microsoft updates these lists.
| Teams service in the UAE | Microsoft's answer |
|---|---|
| Calling Plans | Not available to purchase |
| Audio Conferencing, so people can dial in to meetings | Available to purchase |
| A UAE number as the default conference bridge number | Not supported |
| Toll and toll-free service numbers | Not available |
| Communications Credits | Available |
How do UAE offices connect Teams to phone numbers?
Where Calling Plans are not sold, Microsoft's documented route is Direct Routing: a supported, customer-provided Session Border Controller connects Teams Phone to a telephony carrier, so calls leave through a carrier you have a contract with. It takes more work than a Calling Plan, and the controller has to be secured, monitored and kept up to date like any other device on the network.
Operator Connect is the managed alternative, where a Microsoft-certified operator runs that infrastructure instead. Microsoft's guidance is to check its Operator Connect directory for operators serving your country. In the UAE the practical step is to ask e& and du what they currently offer for Teams before anything is designed, because what is on offer is theirs to state, and it changes.
What does a sensible Teams setup look like for a small office?
Most Teams problems in small offices have nothing to do with calling. They come from how Teams was switched on: everyone added to everything, files scattered through chats, and meeting rooms that drop calls.
- Teams inside a properly secured Microsoft 365 tenant, with multi-factor authentication on from the start, as part of our Microsoft 365 and cloud work.
- Teams and channels planned around how the business actually works, so documents live in one place rather than in chat attachments.
- Meeting rooms with a wired connection for the screen and camera, so calls do not depend on the edge of Wi-Fi coverage. Our network and Wi-Fi service covers that.
- A network checked for real-time audio and video, which suffers from congestion well before ordinary browsing does.
- A decision on phone numbers made after checking current carrier options, not assumed from a guide written for another country.
What does a Teams project cost?
Teams meetings and chat are licensed through Microsoft 365. Teams Phone, Audio Conferencing and the carrier's service are paid for separately, at the prices Microsoft and the carrier publish, and they appear on their own lines in any quote so you can see which part is our work.
Listonics projects run from AED 2,500 to AED 30,000 depending on requirement. Setting up Teams in a tenant that is already in good shape sits at the lower end; a tenant clean-up, meeting rooms and a calling design sit higher. If your Microsoft 365 needs ongoing care afterwards, our Microsoft 365 support page explains how that works.
Frequently asked questions
No. TDRA's published statement lists Microsoft Teams among the applications available on all UAE networks, announced together with Etisalat and du. The same statement says TDRA reviews the list from time to time, so for anything critical check TDRA's website for the current position rather than relying on a summary, including this one.
Only once Teams is connected to the phone network. Teams-to-Teams calls work over the internet, but dialling an ordinary number needs Teams Phone plus a calling route. Microsoft does not sell Calling Plans in the UAE, so that route is usually Direct Routing through a carrier, or an operator service where one is offered.
That depends on the carrier and the route, so it is a question for the carrier rather than a promise anyone else can make. With Direct Routing the numbers stay with the carrier that provides them, and calls are passed to Teams through the Session Border Controller. We confirm what the carrier supports before any design is agreed.
Usually not. External guests can join a Teams meeting from a browser or the Teams app, unless your organisation's settings block it. If people need to dial in by phone, Microsoft lists Audio Conferencing as available to purchase in the UAE, although it does not support a UAE number as the default conference bridge number.
For many small offices it can, once calling is connected properly, but it is not automatic. The deciding factors are whether a carrier offers a route into Teams for your numbers, how incoming calls should reach reception or a queue, and whether the network can carry voice reliably. We look at all three before recommending a change.
Written by Srinivasan Ramachandran, Founder, Listonics · Last reviewed October 30, 2026