Yealink and Microsoft Teams: the perfect pair for modern telephony

Yealink Microsoft Teams phone portfolio - TeleDynamics blog

Yealink's longstanding collaboration with Microsoft is well known in the telecom industry and stands as a testament to how two giants in their fields can work together to create products and services that are greater than the sum of their parts.

Yealink's Teams-certified IP phone portfolio offers deep integration with Microsoft Teams and creates a converged communications ecosystem for organizations of all sizes.

This article explores this innovative portfolio, which includes a wide range of devices suitable for virtually all types of businesses.

Yealink's Teams-certified IP phone series

Yealink offers an extensive selection of IP telephony devices that are certified as compatible with Microsoft Teams. The lineup includes phones that meet various needs:

Basic models ideal for light office work
Devices perfect for hot-desking, reception areas, and co-working environments
Sophisticated models designed for executives and professionals who handle a high volume of calls

The Teams certification covers most of the MP series IP phones, including the MP54, 56, and 58 phones and the MP50 model. It also includes the VP59G — Yealink's first Microsoft Teams–certified phone — and the CP965 conference phone.

As you can see, the integration with Microsoft runs deep within the DNA of Yealink phones, but it doesn't stop there. It includes Teams-certified MVC room systems, other Teams Rooms devices, embedded Teams calling on the Linkus app, and Teams-compatible video bars. Although these are beyond the scope of this article, they attest to Yealink's commitment to compatibility.

Value for money

Microsoft Teams integration with IP phones unquestionably elevates and enhances employees' productivity, leveraging the collaboration platform for their everyday needs.

These phones feature a high-resolution capacitive touch screen and a dedicated Teams button, delivering a superior visual experience and a user interface specifically designed for Teams, facilitating seamless communication and meetings.

These phones' benefits are not limited only to Teams-oriented capabilities. They all take advantage of some of the most innovative and cutting-edge technologies available today:

High-performance chipsets enhanced by Android 12.0: Yealink equips all Teams-certified phones with advanced chipsets that enhance stability and durability to improve product performance and lifespan. Incorporating the Android 12.0 OS ensures responsiveness and a smooth, interactive user experience.
State-of-the-art audio quality for crystal-clear conversations: These phones utilize cutting-edge hardware and software technologies to provide exceptionally high voice quality. This is achieved through Yealink Optima HD voice and Noise Proof Technology alongside a full-duplex speakerphone with acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) and hearing aid compatibility (HAC).
Streamlined deployment and management with support for various platforms: These devices also support a range of deployment tools from Microsoft, Yealink, and Unify Square, including auto-provisioning. This versatility simplifies the deployment, management, updating, and maintenance of the devices for businesses.

Noteworthy Yealink devices

Some of the most notable devices in the various series of Teams-certified phones include the following:

MP50 Teams USB phone: The Yealink MP50 is an innovative and cost-effective USB phone designed to unify various devices into a single communications hub through USB wired connections and Bluetooth wireless pairing. It boasts a 4" capacitive touchscreen and offers a seamless Teams-centric user interface, enhancing your UC calling experience across PC and mobile platforms.
MP58-WH Teams IP phone: The Yealink MP58-WH IP phone provides an exceptional user experience with Microsoft Teams. Its magnetic handset, 7" adjustable touchscreen, and dedicated Teams button enable superior collaborative efforts. The MP58 also supports a Bluetooth wireless handset, allowing users to move away from their desks without interrupting conversations.
CP965 Teams IP conference phone: The CP965, designed for medium to large conference rooms, offers a premium HD conference calling experience with its flagship features and straightforward controls. Featuring 13 built-in microphones for crystal-clear audio, the CP965 supports Bluetooth and USB connections for versatile UC hybrid meetings and can link with up to three additional CP devices in a star configuration for optimal sound capture and playback.

Protecting your investment

Yealink IP phones support two features that are designed to protect your investment.

Skype for Business

The first has to do with Skype for Business (SfB). Skype is a communications platform that was purchased by Microsoft, which turned it into an enterprise communications and collaboration service with the launching of SfB.

Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, is essentially the evolutionary next step beyond SfB and has already begun to replace it. Support for SfB Online ended in 2021; support for SfB Server is still alive and well as of the time of writing, though we expect Microsoft to discontinue it eventually.

Some users have already invested in an extensive SfB infrastructure, thus leveraging devices such as the MP54 and MP56 on their existing networks. Both of these devices, as well as others, have been sold in the past as SfB-certified phones. These phones are all upgradable to Microsoft Teams with the appropriate firmware update.

Whether you already have procured these phones as SfB phones, or you want to integrate them into an existing SfB infrastructure, you can do this knowing that they can be upgraded at any time to Teams compatibility, protecting your investment.

Teams SIP Hybrid Mode

The second feature of note is that all of these devices can function in what is known as Teams and SIP Hybrid Mode. Enabling Hybrid Mode on Teams-certified phones primarily focuses on investment protection as organizations transition from SIP to Teams.

This approach ensures high reliability with a backup communications server — crucial for sectors requiring unwavering communication like hospitals and financial institutions. It also future-proofs the system for special requests, such as E911 for schools or intercom functionalities, accommodating evolving telecommunications needs.

With Yealink's support for SIP under Hybrid Mode, users can enjoy a comprehensive SIP call experience. This includes managing up to 16 SIP accounts, accessing contacts, viewing call history, initiating conference calls, and utilizing call hold and forward options. In addition, Yealink is committed to expanding its SIP features in the future, with plans to include options like intercom.

Interaction with Microsoft Teams-certified SBCs

Session border controllers (SBCs) are devices that sit on the network edge and are used to manage and secure VoIP and UC communications. An SBC acts as a sort of gateway that controls the initiation, operation, and termination of calls, providing a secure bridge between an enterprise's internal network and the external internet or service provider's network.

Teams-certified SBCs guarantee the seamless and secure operation of all your Teams functionalities through your Yealink phones. Thanks to a close partnership between Yealink and Ribbon over the past few years, Yealink phones enjoy flawless integration with Ribbon's SBC products.

Likewise, the audio codecs SBC has been certified for compatibility. All of this ensures that your Yealink Teams-certified phones will interact without any issues with these SBCs within a Teams-focused ecosystem. This will ensure that your organization's operation remains uninterrupted and efficient.

Conclusion

Yealink's Teams-certified IP desk phones offer an enhanced communications experience for businesses embracing the Teams platform. Through their advanced features, reliable connectivity, and ease of use, these phones stand as a testament to Yealink's commitment to quality and innovation.