Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams

Get 2x award-winning Direct Routing with the only voice,
messaging, and 911 solution available from a carrier.

Solve regulatory challenges and simplify telecom migrations with Microsoft Teams Direct Routing partners

Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams is the only complete solution for Direct Routing and Operator Connect with voice, texting, and E911 available from a carrier. With software-driven SIP and dynamic E911 location routing, you can migrate to Microsoft Teams and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements—all while saving money and resources by pooling usage across users.

Solve for E911

With a hybrid workforce and legacy systems, complying with emergency regulations like RAY BAUM’s Act while migrating to the cloud is complicated. Help improve employee safety and maintain E911 compliance with dynamic location routing capabilities and our secure, highly-reliable, nationwide network.

Get better PSTN access

Come direct-to-carrier for greater telephony control and value from your investments with Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams. When you unbundle with Bandwidth, you can direct real-time fail-over control, call forwarding, and re-routes, backed by our award-winning support and regulatory expertise.

Send and receive texts

Truly unify your business communications with Send-to, a Teams messaging app that works natively with your Bandwidth numbers. Your workforce can send and receive texts with customers with channel-wide visibility, all without leaving Microsoft Teams.

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What you can do with our Microsoft Teams Direct Routing provider solution?

Save 40% over Microsoft Calling Plans

Enterprises typically save an average of 40% when they power telephony with Direct Routing. Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams lets you create your own custom calling plan built for Direct Routing, all to help you save even more by pooling usage across users.

Migrate with a partner who’s just easier to work with

The Bandwidth support experience means you have a migration partner, not just a provider. From a dedicated onboarding specialist that helps execute on your project plan, to 24/7 NOC and expert support teams, we’re here to guide you through and accelerate your migration.

Verify dynamic location routing with 933 testing

RAY BAUM’s Act requires a dispatchable location—the street address plus additional data like floor, suite, and room. Make sure your dynamic location routing meets compliance standards without burdening 911 with live testing calls—only when you use Bandwidth’s 933 testing capabilities.

Easily manage your numbers from one platform

When you migrate your numbers to the Bandwidth platform, you can control all of your telephony from a single source. Manage your numbers across Microsoft Teams, Cisco, Genesys, RingCentral, and beyond—all without disruption.

Fact sheet

Microsoft Teams Direct Routing & E911 FAQ

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Get award-winning texting with Send-To

Did you know your employees can send and receive SMS and MMS messages with customers, all without leaving Microsoft Teams?

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Picking the right PSTN connectivity solution for Microsoft Teams

IT leaders who want to voice-enable Microsoft Teams have a myriad of options. If they want a direct carrier relationship, should they use the tried-and-tested method of Direct Routing, or give Operator Connect a go?

Operator Connect: Direct Routing 2.0

Microsoft’s Operator Connect program is the next-generation of Direct Routing, designed to let Microsoft customers choose their own carrier for PSTN connectivity in an easy, intuitive way.

With Bandwidth’s Operator Connect solution, you get global coverage and award-winning support, backed by Microsoft Teams’ feature-rich platform.

What’s right for you?

If you need granular call control, some on-prem equipment, and have in-house PowerShell and telecom experts, Direct Routing is right for you.

If you want to outsource your SBCs and management, you’re global (or planning to be), and prioritize ease of use, Operator Connect might be better for you.

Go global with Operator Connect →

Ready Set Go

The path to full PSTN connectivity

Step 1

Map out a project plan with your Bandwidth onboarding specialist

Step 2

Set up parallel SIP trunks with your existing solution

Step 3

Trigger your no-disruption port to stage all your numbers for migration (or rollbacks if needed)

Step 4

Configure 911 call routing with our easy-to-use dashboard and APIs

Step 5

Test your voice and 911 functionality

Step 6

Move your users to the cloud in real time with our easy-to-use software

Direct Routing partners FAQ

What are the benefits of Direct Routing?

Direct Routing is Microsoft’s original Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) solution for Teams—which means you can get all of the benefits from going direct-to-carrier, plus the feature-rich platform of Teams. Major benefits of Direct Routing include:

1. Communications flexibility

Direct Routing gives enterprises flexibility over Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers, IVR, call routing, call recording, and locations.

2. Migration control

With granular control over your numbers and on-premise equipment, Direct Routing offers a controlled, disruption-free migration path. You can move your comms stack to the cloud and host your SBC with your Direct Routing provider, or maintain your on-premise equipment for extra control.

3. Global reach

If you need PSTN connectivity in more than the ~16 countries Calling Plans are currently available in, your Direct Routing partner can offer coverage everywhere you have customers and employees.

4. Fast access to support

Compared to purchasing wholesale PSTN connectivity via Teams Calling Plans, Direct Routing gives you access to your provider’s support, network operations, and number management teams.

Learn more about the benefits of Direct Routing.

How can I get started with Direct Routing?

To connect Direct Routing to the PSTN for voice and emergency, enterprises need:

A Microsoft Teams Phone System license in Microsoft 365. This is typically included in the E5 package, and as an add-on for E3.
A Direct Routing provider with SIP trunks and certified E911 for Microsoft Teams. Bandwidth is one of three certified E911 providers for Microsoft.
A Microsoft-certified Session Border Controller (SBC) to terminate SIP Trunks.
Trained IT personnel that can set up & manage your Microsoft Teams connectivity.

Learn more about getting started with Direct Routing.

How do SBCs work in Direct Routing?

Your Microsoft SBC connects your Microsoft Teams users to your Direct Routing provider. Without an SBC, there would be no way to send media and voice between devices via the PSTN. In addition to terminating SIP trunks, your SBC acts as your voice firewall. Whether you choose to host your SBC or not, Microsoft Teams will send calls to the SBC, and then to the PSTN or emergency services provider with IP-based SIP trunks.

Learn more about hosting your Teams SBC.

Let’s get started.
Request a free proof of
concept today!

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