Microsoft Teams, Illinois Call Provider and Calling Plan Migration FAQ

Overview

Beginning in the late spring of 2026, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is changing phone carriers and calling plans. These changes will help modernize the University's communications infrastructure and improve efficiency and support over time.

To minimize disruption, these changes will be rolled out in phases throughout the rest of this year. Currently, our project plan consists of four phases with their approximate timelines, all of which are detailed below. In the first phase, numbers will be ported from one carrier to another. Service is not expected to be impacted. In the second phase, when we change calling plans, service may be briefly interrupted. The third and fourth phases are not expected to interrupt service.

This project will not change Teams or any resources created in Teams by individuals or departments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why is the University changing carriers and calling plans?

• The University is changing carriers and calling plans to improve our communications infrastructure and thereby make it easier to support phone service now and in the future.

Will this project affect my Teams channels, chats, or meetings?

• No, this project will not affect any resources created by you or your department in Teams.

Will this project affect my ability to make or receive calls in Teams to or from lines outside of the University's Teams environment?

• Yes, during the change in calling plans, there may be a brief interruption in this part of the service. Customers can still make Teams-to-Teams calls, but may not be able to call or receive calls from cell phones, for instance. This is due to needing to make a change to each customer's record. To minimize disruption as much as possible, we will make this change outside of standard business hours where possible, and after busy times like finals. Many customers should not notice any interruption. 

Can I opt-out of or control when my service may be interrupted?

• Unfortunately, customers cannot opt-out of a potential service interruption. All customers may experience the interruption, as the interruption would result from making a required change to each customer's individual record. We will work to minimize disruption as much as possible, however, by making this change outside of business hours and after known busy times like finals.
• For those customers who have non-standard hours, we would be pleased to work with you to understand and determine the best possible times to make this change. Please make a ticket with TechServices-Teams or email the IT Service Desk at consult@illinois.edu with questions. 

Phases and Timelines

This information is approximate and subject to change, given technical dependencies and vendor partner schedules.

Phase I (by July 2026): Change carriers. No service interruption is expected.

Phase II (Summer 2026): Change calling plans. Brief service interruption may be experienced. This change will be completed in batches, to minimize disruption within and between batches. Details will be communicated to campus as we approach this change, to help customers and the IT professionals who support them plan for this phase.

Phase III (Summer-early Fall 2026): Upgrade call center software. No service interruption is expected.

Phase IV (Fall-Winter 2026): Internal housekeeping (project cleanup). No service interruption is expected.

Questions and Support

For questions about this migration project, please make a ticket with TechServices-Teams or email the IT Service Desk at consult@illinois.edu. 

IT Service Desk Escalation

To reach a Teams admin or VoIP engineer, please escalate a ticket to the UIUC-TechServices-Teams group inside of TDX.