Microsoft Teams gets teamwork right: seamlessly connecting employees via video chats, quick DMs, and phone calls all within the Microsoft suite. Managing this unified communications system can be relatively straightforward, but the moment you’re tasked with setting up new phone numbers, expanding locations, or finding infrastructure savings? Things can get a little…complicated.
This is where Operator Connect comes in—delivering cloud-based, enterprise-grade voice services for Microsoft Teams that are simple to manage. This bring-your-own-carrier (BYOC) program allows IT leaders to easily integrate connectivity with existing phone systems. No PowerShell knowledge required!
Let’s discover how Operator Connect could be the missing link in your unified communications strategy.
What is Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams?
Since Teams doesn’t come ready to make calls straight out of the box, you’ll need a connectivity solution and the appropriate Teams licenses to enable calling and messaging. One such option Microsoft offers is Operator Connect—a cloud-based service that hooks up your Teams account to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) via a Microsoft-certified telecom provider. This is a pure-cloud model that can be partially managed through the Teams admin center interface for easier day-to-day operations.
With Operator Connect, your employees continue collaborating in Teams just as they do now while gaining full telephony features, such as voice calling, messaging, and emergency services. It’s essentially like adding a phone line to your Teams environment. Even better? You can keep your current phone contracts and relationships if your telecom provider is part of Microsoft’s Operator Connect program.
So, now that you’ve got a handle on what Operator Connect is, let’s see how it measures up against your other PSTN connectivity options.
Operator Connect vs. Direct Routing vs. Calling Plans: Which is right for you?
Each Teams connectivity solution varies in complexity, control, and cost. They can be evaluated as “bundled telecom,” where the phone calls are available as a preset package, or as “unbundled telecom,” where connecting to a carrier offers usage-based pricing and advanced options. Here’s a closer look to help you decide which one makes sense for your business.
Calling Plans: This is the simplest way to integrate calling capabilities to Teams, with Microsoft acting as your PSTN carrier for supported geographies. With Teams Calling Plans, you can choose from domestic, international, or pay-as-you-go minutes.
Operator Connect: This Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) approach is a sweet spot between Calling Plans and Direct Routing, delivering more features and flexibility while being far easier to manage than Direct Routing. Just pick from Microsoft’s pre-vetted carriers to take care of the PSTN connection and skip the need for SBC management with complex configurations. This is commonly referred to as a “hosted SBC” model as your carrier is responsible for hosting the session border controller used to manage calls through Operator Connect.
Direct Routing: This BYOC option connects your phone system to Teams through a certified Session Border Controller (SBC). It’s best suited for companies with on-premises equipment, custom setups, and PowerShell pros who can handle configuration and ongoing management.
(Want more details? Check out our deep dive on What is Operator Connect vs. Direct Routing?, including Operator Connect mobile and conferencing.)
How Operator Connect enhances the employee experience
Leveraging Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams makes it possible to transform how employees communicate, collaborate, and get things done within a familiar platform.
Your employees will use Teams Phone to make and receive calls, allowing them to connect with clients, join meetings, and work on projects without toggling between apps or devices. Plus, there’s no new interface to master since Teams Phone is natively on the same platform.
And for IT? This integration makes the phone system feel like a natural extension of Microsoft Teams with minimal technical effort required. You can easily assign phone numbers to employees and get them connected whether they’re based in-office or remote.
Why IT teams should opt for Operator Connect
Migrating to the cloud? Want a direct-to-carrier relationship? Prefer number self-servicing? Operator Connect checks all these boxes for you (and more).
- Accelerated cloud adoption: Your operator handles PSTN connectivity and hosts the SBC, which speeds up the move from on-prem with less disruption.
- Simplified day-to-day operations: Provision numbers, track usage, monitor call performance, and do other management tasks within the Teams admin center.
- Reduced CapEx costs: Since hardware is not necessary to purchase, maintain, or upgrade, you get both immediate and long-term savings on capital expenditures.
- Improved reliability: Microsoft Operator Connect partners offer Azure-powered direct peering for high-quality and low-latency network connections.
- Combined white-glove support: Microsoft and Operator Connect providers work under a shared Service Level Agreement (SLA) to solve issues fast.
How does Operator Connect work?
Wondering how to enable Operator Connect in Microsoft Teams? Follow these steps to get started—but plan ahead, as user enablement can take up to 24 hours.
1. Get the right licenses
Make sure each user has a Teams Phone Standard license (an add-on to your Teams subscription) to activate features like cloud voicemail, call forwarding, call transfer, auto attendants, call queues, and caller ID.
2. Set users to TeamsOnly mode
Users need TeamsOnly mode for full Teams functionality. Note that any user with an Operator Connect phone number requires this setting. You can enable it selectively—only for users who need it, rather than your entire organization.
3. Add an operator
Choose a Microsoft-certified operator who supports the countries/regions your organization needs. Curious how to select which Microsoft Operator Connect partner to work with? Look for:
- Global coverage: Confirm services in your operating regions. Leading Operator Connect providers like Bandwidth cover over 90% of the world’s economy.
- Network reliability: +99.99% SLAs, redundant networks, and failover capabilities through Tier 1 carrier networks will ensure clear, uninterrupted service.
- Emergency services: Verify the operator can support emergency services in-region, and especially 911 requirements in the US. Bandwidth is among only three Microsoft-approved Dynamic E911 providers.
- Scalability: Go with Microsoft Operator Connect partners that are equipped to support growth—whether you’re adding locations, users, or advanced telephony features.
- Ease of migration: Pick Operator Connect providers with API-driven tools, onboarding support, and regulatory expertise for successful system transitions.
4. Enable Operator Connect
After selecting your Microsoft-certified operator, grant consent to connect your Teams tenant. From there, you can order new numbers or port existing ones, set up emergency addresses, and assign them to users. Finally, US businesses must configure emergency calling with dynamic location routing to meet legal requirements for accurate dispatchable location data.
For more on 911 regulations, read about RAY BAUM’s Act and Kari’s Law.
Ready to turn Teams into a true communication hub?
Operator Connect might just be the ideal solution for linking your collaboration tools with global telephony—minus the fuss (IT pros already have enough complexity to manage). Connect with an expert today to start the conversation about optimizing your Teams setup.
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