What Direct Routing is and who it's for
Direct Routing connects Microsoft Teams to a carrier of your choosing — us — through a certified session border controller (SBC). Teams stays your calling interface; the calls travel our SIP network at our rates. That architecture is what makes it the heavyweight option: the best per-minute economics of the three routes, numbers and routing under full carrier control, coexistence with existing PBX kit during migration, non-geographic and international numbering handled properly, and call flows Teams alone can't express — complex IVRs, compliance recording, contact-centre integration. The cost of that power is setup: an SBC (hosted by us, not a box on your wall) and configuration that needs doing by people who've done it before. We have, many times.
Direct Routing versus the simpler routes
If Direct Routing is the manual gearbox, Operator Connect is the automatic: same carrier economics in spirit, radically simpler admin, but less routing exotica. Calling Plans are the hire car — instant, and you pay for the convenience. Our honest steer by size: under ~20 users with simple needs, Operator Connect nearly always wins; growing multi-site estates, call-heavy teams, anyone needing recording or contact-centre features or holding existing SIP contracts — Direct Routing earns its setup. The side-by-side detail: OC vs Direct Routing. Either way the experience for staff is identical: they press call in Teams; the engineering is our problem.
Teams Phone resources: Teams Phone (pillar) · Operator Connect · Direct Routing · Calling Plans · OC vs DR compared · Teams Phone cost
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to buy an SBC?
No — we host and manage the SBC as part of the service. Your side needs Teams Phone licences and nothing physical.
How long does Direct Routing take to set up?
Typically one to two weeks including number porting — configuration, testing, then a controlled cutover. Existing numbers keep working until the agreed switch moment.
Is Direct Routing overkill for a small office?
Usually, yes — and we'll say so. Operator Connect gives small teams the carrier-rate benefit without the configuration layer. Direct Routing is for scale, complexity, or specific integration needs.