Room1.04Floor 1 Help desk and devices
Phone system migration to VoIP and Teams Phone
Off the old PBX and copper lines, onto hosted VoIP or Microsoft Teams Phone. Numbers ported, 9-1-1 addresses set, and the fax, alarm and elevator lines planned for.
- Off the old PBX and copper lines
- Numbers ported
- 9-1-1 addresses set
- Fax, alarm and elevator linesPlanned for
Moving off the old phone system without losing a number
We move GTA offices off ageing phone systems and copper lines onto hosted VoIP or Microsoft Teams Phone. That covers Mitel, ShoreTel, Avaya, NEC, Cisco and Skype for Business systems, plain Bell or Rogers business lines, and the PRI circuits that feed older PBXs.
Your numbers come with you, and the fax, alarm and elevator lines are planned for rather than discovered on cutover day.
A phone migration is mostly paperwork and planning. The new system is quick to set up. What takes care is the number port, the 9-1-1 addresses, the devices that quietly depend on an analog line, and a network that can carry voice cleanly. We handle all of it, because we already look after the network and Microsoft 365 the phones depend on.
Still deciding between hosted VoIP and Teams Phone? Our business phone systems page compares the two. This page is about getting from the old system to the new one.
Why so many offices are moving in 2026
Most phone systems in small and mid-size offices were installed ten or more years ago. Several of them are now past or close to the end of their maker’s support, and the copper lines behind them are being retired. The table shows where common systems stand.
| System or line | Status |
|---|---|
| Skype for Business Server 2019 | Microsoft support ended in October 2025 |
| Mitel MiVoice Office 250 | Taken through Mitel’s end-of-life process |
| Mitel MiVoice Connect (formerly ShoreTel) | Technical support ends December 31, 2029 |
| NEC on-premises phone systems | NEC is leaving the on-premises PBX market outside Japan |
| Cisco Unified Communications Manager 14 | Last date of support is April 30, 2027 |
| Cisco Business Edition 6000 M6 server | No longer sold since September 2025 |
| Bell Megalink (PRI) circuits | Closed to new customers; existing circuits continue for now |
| Copper business lines | Being retired area by area by Bell and TELUS, with notice to affected customers |
A system past end of support still rings, but parts, security fixes and people who know it get harder to find each year. Moving on your own schedule costs less than moving after a failed card or a copper retirement notice with a fixed date on it.
Three ways to connect Teams Phone in Canada
Teams Phone needs a way to reach the public phone network, and in Canada there are three. All three need a Teams Phone licence for each person who makes calls, on top of a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Teams. Which route fits depends on how many people call out, whether you need special routing, and who you want on the bill.
Microsoft Calling Plans
Microsoft supplies the numbers and the minutes. It is the simplest route and suits offices with straightforward calling. Microsoft sells pay-as-you-go, domestic and international plans in Canada, and calls to the United States count as domestic.
Operator Connect
A carrier connects its network to your Teams tenant, and you pick numbers and plans from that carrier inside the Teams admin centre. Canadian carriers in the program include Bell, Rogers, TELUS and Iristel. It suits offices that want a Canadian carrier’s rates or support, or that already have numbers with one.
Direct Routing
Your own session border controller links Teams to a SIP trunk provider of your choice. It is the most flexible route: it can keep an existing SIP provider, connect analog gateways for fax and door phones, and route calls between Teams and an old PBX during a phased move. It also needs the most setup and care.
| Microsoft licence | Price per user per month |
|---|---|
| Teams Phone Standard (for Operator Connect or Direct Routing) | $13.60 |
| Teams Phone with pay-as-you-go Calling Plan | $16.30 |
| Teams Phone with domestic Calling Plan | $23.10 |
| Teams Phone with domestic and international Calling Plan | $46.10 |
Prices are Microsoft Canada’s listed prices in October 2026, in Canadian dollars on an annual commitment, before tax. Operator Connect carriers charge for numbers and minutes separately. Auto attendants and call queues run on resource accounts, and their licence is free. Shared Calling lets staff who rarely call out share one main number instead of each needing their own.
Keeping your numbers: how porting works in Canada
Moving a number from one carrier to another is called porting, and in Canada the new carrier asks the old one to release it. Most rejected ports come down to the paperwork not matching what the old carrier has on file, so we collect it carefully before anything is submitted.
What a port request needs
- A letter of authorization signed by someone the old carrier recognizes on the account
- The account number, and the PIN if the account has one
- The business name and service address exactly as the old carrier records them
- A recent bill, which carriers often ask to see
- A complete list of the numbers, including fax lines, alarm lines and blocks of direct-dial numbers
What gets ports rejected
- An account number, name or address that does not match the old carrier’s records
- An open order on the account, such as a pending move or a disconnect
- Numbers that have been cancelled or suspended
- A number billed under a main line that is not listed on the request
Canada has no customer service record to pull the way the US does, so the list of numbers comes from your bills and from the old phone system itself. Bell and TELUS can provide an equipment record when the account holder asks for it, which helps on large or old accounts.
Once the old carrier accepts the request, a local port usually completes within one to two weeks, and toll-free numbers often sooner. Never cancel the old service before the port is finished. A cancelled number can be lost for good.
Since April 2025, new Toronto numbers can come from the 942 area code. If customers know you by a 416 or 905 number, that is one more reason to port rather than start fresh.
Fax, alarm, elevator and door lines: the ones people forget
An office phone bill often carries lines that have nothing to do with desk phones. They were installed years ago, plugged into a wall jack and forgotten. When the copper goes or the PBX is switched off, they stop working, and some of them matter for safety and insurance. We list every one before the move and agree what happens to each.
- Alarm and fire panels. Many still dial the monitoring company over a phone line. The usual fix is a cellular communicator, arranged with your alarm company and tested with them on the day.
- Elevator phones. Ontario’s TSSA notes that the CSA B44 elevator code is performance-based, so the line can be copper, VoIP or cellular if it meets the requirements, including four hours of backup power, a daily end-to-end test and redirecting a call that is not answered within 45 seconds. A phone that met the rules on copper may not on VoIP, so your elevator contractor signs off before the line moves.
- Fax machines. Fax over VoIP is unreliable without careful setup. Most offices move to an online fax service that sends and receives fax as email. Where a physical fax machine has to stay, we use a gateway set up for fax.
- Door entry and gate phones. Older intercoms call a phone number when a visitor presses the button. Some can be pointed at a Teams or VoIP number, and others need an analog adapter or replacement.
- Payment terminals and postage meters. Most now use the internet, but older units still dial out. We check each one rather than assume.
Power matters too. Copper lines carried their own power, so an old desk phone kept working in a blackout. VoIP phones and fibre equipment do not. Bell’s own advice is to keep battery backup if you rely on a line to reach 9-1-1 during a power outage, so we put the internet equipment, the switch that powers the phones and any critical lines on a battery.
9-1-1 on VoIP and Teams Phone
On an old landline, 9-1-1 knew your address automatically. On VoIP it knows the address your provider has on file, which is only right if someone keeps it right. The CRTC treats VoIP service that stays at one address differently from service that can be used anywhere, and requires providers to tell customers about the limits before the service starts.
- Every office location gets its civic address registered with the provider, down to the floor or suite where it helps responders
- Phones are labelled where the provider requires it, and staff are told what changes when they call 9-1-1 from home or a laptop
- Teams Phone can pick up a caller’s location from the office network they are on. Microsoft supports this dynamic emergency calling in Canada through Calling Plans, Operator Connect and Teams Phone Mobile. Direct Routing needs an emergency routing service or extra setup on the session border controller.
- Staff who work from home are asked to keep their home address current, and shown how
Behind the scenes, Canada’s 9-1-1 networks are moving to the next-generation system, and the CRTC has set March 31, 2027 for the old networks to be switched off. That work belongs to the carriers. It is still a good reason to confirm that every number in your office sends the right address before then.
Getting the network ready for voice
Choppy calls are rarely the phone system’s fault. They come from a busy internet line, a firewall that treats voice like any other traffic or Wi-Fi that drops a laptop between rooms. Because we look after networks and firewalls, we check that side before the phones go live, not after the first complaint.
- Enough internet capacity for your busiest hour, allowing roughly 100 kbps in each direction for every call in progress
- Voice traffic given priority on the firewall and switches
- The firewall’s SIP helper feature turned off where it interferes with calls, a common cause of one-way audio
- Switches that supply power to desk phones, sized for the number of handsets
- Wi-Fi coverage checked in meeting rooms and wherever people take calls on laptops
- A second internet line or automatic call forwarding to mobiles, so a provider outage does not silence the office
What we check on cutover day
The port date is set by the carriers, so we pick it early in the week and in the morning, never late on a Friday. The old system stays connected until the port is confirmed, which means calls keep ringing somewhere the whole time. Once the numbers move, we test before anyone is told it is done.
- The main number, every direct line and the toll-free number, called from outside
- Outgoing calls showing the right caller ID
- Auto attendant options, call queues, transfers and parking
- Voicemail on each line and voicemail-to-email
- After-hours and holiday routing
- Fax, alarm and elevator lines, with the alarm company and elevator contractor where needed
- The 9-1-1 address on file for each location, confirmed with the provider
Staff get a short walkthrough of answering, transferring and voicemail on the new system, in person or on a call. The first week after the move gets extra attention from the help desk, because that is when the small things show up.
Pricing and what the managed plan covers
A phone migration is quoted at a fixed price before work starts. The quote lists our work separately from the licences, phone service and handsets, so you can see what each part costs and compare carriers. On the managed IT plan, help with the new phones after the move goes through the same help desk as everything else.
- Mitel, Avaya, NEC or ShoreTel to Teams PhoneFixed quote
- Old PBX or copper lines to hosted VoIPFixed quote
- Skype for Business Server to Teams PhoneFixed quote
- Number porting for main lines, direct lines and toll-freeFixed quote
- Fax, alarm and elevator line replacementFixed quote
- Network readiness check for voiceFixed quote
Questions people ask
How long does a phone system migration take?
Most of the calendar time is the number port. Once the old carrier accepts the request, local numbers usually move within one to two weeks. Planning, ordering handsets, setting up the new system and testing happen around that date, so a small office is often done within a few weeks of saying go.
Can we keep our existing phone numbers?
Almost always, as long as the numbers are active and the port request matches the old carrier's records. Never cancel the old service before the port finishes, because a cancelled number can be lost.
Are Microsoft Teams Calling Plans available in Canada?
Yes. Microsoft sells pay-as-you-go, domestic and international Calling Plans in Canada, and calls to the United States count as domestic. You can also connect Teams through a Canadian carrier with Operator Connect, or through your own SIP provider with Direct Routing.
Will 9-1-1 know where we are calling from?
Only if the address on file is right. We register each office's civic address with the provider and, on Teams Phone, set up dynamic emergency calling so the location follows the office network the caller is on. Staff working from home need to keep their home address current.
What happens to our fax machine and alarm line?
They need their own plan. Alarm panels usually move to a cellular communicator arranged with your alarm company, and most fax machines are replaced by an online fax service. We list every analog line before the move so none are missed.
What happens to calls if our internet goes down?
Calls to your numbers can forward automatically to mobiles or another office, and Teams Phone works on staff mobiles over cellular data. For offices that cannot afford a gap, a second internet line from a different provider keeps the phones up.
Do we need new desk phones?
Often, yes. Handsets from Mitel, Avaya and NEC systems are usually tied to that system and will not work with Teams or most hosted VoIP services. Many staff move to a headset instead, and reception keeps a desk phone. We quote handsets only for the people who need one.
Tell us what’s going on
Pick how urgent it is and leave a way to reach you. The help desk replies by phone or email. If work has stopped, call 647-812-3775 instead.
Something broken, or something to plan?
For anything urgent, call. A technician answers the emergency line 24/7. For everything else, open a ticket and tell us what is going on.