Updated: August 23, 2020 (August 23, 2020)

Direct Routing for Teams Leverages On-Premises PSTN

Jim leads the Directions on Microsoft editorial team and has been writing about technology since the early 1990s. Most recently... more

Direct Routing enables Teams customers to use existing service providers for voice calling.
For customers who cannot use Microsoft’s hosted calling service, Direct Routing is the only alternative for voice calling in Teams.
Direct Routing can coexist with on-premises phone systems and Skype for Business Server to ease migration to Teams.
Implementing Direct Routing will likely require new on-premises routing hardware from a list of certified vendors.

Direct Routing, a feature of Microsoft’s Phone System hosted service, connects with on-premises routing hardware to provide public switched telephone network (PSTN) connectivity for Teams. For customers migrating to Teams, it replaces the previous hybrid mode available for Skype for Business Online and Skype for Business Server. While Microsoft also offers Calling Plan, a hosted PSTN service, it is available in limited regions and is not likely to expand further.

Bridging the Gap to Hosted Telephony

To manage phone services in Teams, Microsoft offers the following:

Atlas Members have full access

Get access to this and thousands of other unbiased analyses, roadmaps, decision kits, infographics, reference guides, and more, all included with membership. Comprehensive access to the most in-depth and unbiased expertise for Microsoft enterprise decision-making is waiting.

Membership Options

Already have an account? Login Now