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Operator Connect
for Microsoft Teams

Take Microsoft Teams global with Operator Connect.

GET YOUR PROOF OF CONCEPT Explore direct routing

What is Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams?

Operator Connect is the next generation of Direct Routing, designed to give users an easy way to select a carrier and add PSTN access to Microsoft Teams.

Direct Routing Operator Connect
Emergency calling E911 Dynamic Location Routing & emergency calling E911 Dynamic Location Routing & emergency calling
Texting SMS and MMS available* SMS and MMS available*
Number procurement Available in the Bandwidth dashboard Available in the Bandwidth dashboard
Number management Available in the Bandwidth Dashboard or APIs Available in the Bandwidth Dashboard or APIs
Number provisioning IT Admin assigns phone numbers and policies with PowerShell Numbers visible in the Microsoft Teams Admin Center
Coverage North America, if hosted; Global if not hosted Global
Cost of ownership Keep your SBCs, or let Bandwidth host Bandwidth fully hosts your SBCs
Location Pure cloud, hybrid, or on-prem Pure cloud
Support Bandwidth Tier 1 Support with escalations through Microsoft 365 or Premier Support Bandwidth Tier 1 Support and Shared Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with Microsoft

Only with Operator Connect

Operator Connect with Bandwidth = Flexibility + Simplicity

Operator Connect gives organizations the migration control of Direct Routing, paired with the simplicity of Calling Plans. You’ll get:

Migration control

Move to the cloud with API-driven, direct-to-carrier control and flexibility.

Easy deployment

Connect to the PSTN, order numbers, and more within Microsoft Teams.

Global reach

Go global with access to over 90% of the world’s economy with a single provider.

Call reliability

Get a one-to-one network connection with Azure on a resilient, redundant network.

Emergency calling

Provide emergency calling that can fully comply with regulations like RAY BAUM’s Act.

White-glove support

Get award-winning support, guidance, and shared SLAs with Bandwidth and Microsoft.

Lower costs

Ditch your on-prem equipment and reduce your communications expenses.

Regulatory support

Expand into new markets confidently with regulatory expertise in 60+ countries.

Your telephony options in Microsoft Teams

Deciding between Direct Routing, Operator Connect, and Calling Plans? This should help.

Is Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams right for you?

If you need complete telephony control, want to keep some on-prem equipment, and have coding skills, then Direct Routing is still perfect for you. If you value ease of use, and you don’t want to manage your SBCs in-house, give Operator Connect a go.

Operator Connect is best if you:

Shell code

Don't have PowerShell knowledge

Globe map

Have a global, distributed workforce

Upload cloud

Want to fully migrate to the cloud

handshake

Need a direct-to-carrier relationship

Number hastag

Prefer number
self-servicing

Bring award-winning telephony to your organization

Come directly to us for:


  • Peace of mind with the carrier behind the Gartner Magic Quadrant
    leaders

  • Award-winning BYOC integrations for the top UCaaS and CCaaS
    platforms

  • Built-in texting with Bandwidth phone numbers via award-winning Send-To*

  • Emergency calling from a Microsoft-Certified E911 Dynamic
    Location Routing (DLR) provider

  • Freedom to move to and around the communications cloud with a
    universal platform
  • 24/7/365 support with a 97% CSAT score

Learn more about your Microsoft Teams telephony options

Operator Connector FAQ

What is Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams?

Operator Connect is a Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) PSTN connectivity model that gives Microsoft Teams users voice and emergency calling access. Operator Connect lets your employees dial out of your organization’s instance, communicating with contractors, partners, customers, and even emergency responders.

What are the top benefits of Operator Connect?

Operator Connect gives enterprises an intuitive, yet flexible, way to manage PSTN connectivity. Main benefits of Operator Connect include:

Simple setup

You can easily purchase and manage voice, phone numbers, and emergency calling from the Microsoft Teams Admin Center. Unlike Direct Routing, Operator Connect doesn’t require powershell knowledge.

Shared support SLAs

Any Operator Connect provider must be approved by Microsoft Teams, which means you can access shared Support-Level Agreements (SLAs) and a direct line to your provider’s support team.

Pure cloud connectivity

Operator Connect is a hosted connectivity model, which means you can go pure cloud and phase out legacy systems, like SBCs. That means less time spent maintaining on-premise equipment, and more cost efficiency in the cloud.

Global reach

Depending on your Operator Connect provider, you can connect globally—wherever you have customers or employees. Don’t let limited Calling Plans hold you back.

Use your preferred vendor

Keep using your existing connectivity contractors, or find a new operator that can give you the coverage and support you need.

Are there any requirements users have to meet to get Operator Connect?

To turn on phone number assignments with Operator Connect, your users need to be Microsoft Teams Phone licensed, and in TeamsOnly mode. You’ll also need a Microsoft-certified Operator, and a Microsoft-certified E911 provider.

Once this has been set up, select and activate your Operator from the Microsoft Teams Admin Center.

What is Microsoft Teams Phone?

Formerly called Operator Connect Mobile, Teams Phone lets organizations give employees a single phone number and voicemail to use across company-provided mobile phones, desk phones, and Microsoft Teams. This is limited to specific carriers.

How does Operator Connect compare to Direct Routing?

Operator Connect and Direct Routing are both PSTN connectivity models for Microsoft Teams. Unlike Direct Routing, Operator Connect offers a pre-approved selection of providers, is a pure cloud solution, and offers shared support SLAs with Microsoft.

In addition, Operator Connect is much simpler to manage and deploy. No PowerShell knowledge is required, and you can manage all of your users from the Teams Admin Portal.

How do I configure Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams?

To enable an Operator in Microsoft Teams, follow these steps: 

  1. Enable your operator. Go to the All Operators tab and select the Operator and countries you want to enable for Microsoft Teams. Your contact information will be provided with your operator, and they’ll get in touch about contracting information. Then, accept the data transfer notice, and select Add as my operator to save. 
  2. Set up phone numbers. If you’re adding phone numbers for new users, you can acquire and assign numbers from your Operator. If you’re moving existing numbers from Calling Plans or Direct Routing to Operator Connect, you’ll need to port the phone numbers to your new Operator.
  3. Assign numbers to emergency addresses. Create emergency addresses in the Teams admin center, and assign them to the appropriate phone numbers. This allows you to manage dynamic emergency calling and maintain compliance with emergency requirements like RAY BAUM’s Act

Ready to get started?

Give your employees a communications platform that’s actually unified with Bandwidth’s Operator Connect solution. Global, reliable, and flexible—it’s everything you’ve been looking for, and then some. Get in touch to get started.


*SMS and MMS are currently only available in U.S. and Canada. Get in touch to learn more.

Request a free proof of concept today!