Configure call routing for Direct Routing

Publisher

Microsoft

URL

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/direct-routing-voice-routing

Published

2026-09-10

Updated

unknown

Accessed

2026-09-21

HTTP status

200

License

Microsoft Learn terms of use; no-redistribution; short excerpts and locators only

Source notes citing this source

• If a Calling Plan user is also assigned an online voice routing policy, calls matching a policy pattern go out through Direct Routing and non-matching calls use the Calling Plan infrastructure. in context
• Every voice-enabled user inherits the global (org-wide default) online voice routing policy, which can send Calling Plan and Operator Connect users' PSTN calls to a Direct Routing trunk by accident; Microsoft recommends custom policies assigned per user instead. in context
• If one voice routing policy has both a specific route for Unified CM-held numbers and a broad catch-all PSTN route in separate PSTN usages, the Unified CM usage probably has to come first, or calls to Unified CM users would leave through the catch-all route. inferred in context
• When an incoming PSTN call is forwarded or transferred and the ingress SBC is also a possible egress SBC, Teams ignores that SBC's priority value and tries it first. in context
• If a user has only Teams Phone (no Calling Plan) and the dialled number matches no route in their online voice routing policy, the call is dropped. in context
• If the called number contains an extension (for example +1425XXXXXXX;ext=YYY), the voice route number pattern is applied only to the part without the extension. in context
• PSTN usages in an online voice routing policy are evaluated in order, and once a match is found in one usage the later usages are never evaluated. in context
• Direct Routing call routing is built from an online voice routing policy that contains ordered PSTN usages; each usage holds voice routes, and each route pairs a called-number pattern with a set of online PSTN gateways (SBCs). in context
• Route priorities decide which voice route is tried first, but the SBCs inside a single voice route are tried in random order. in context
• If Teams voice routing has no route for Unified CM number ranges ahead of the general PSTN route, Teams calls to users still on Unified CM will match the PSTN route and leave through the carrier, so calls between the two platforms depend on carrier trunks and are subject to carrier call charges. inferred in context
• When one SBC carries PSTN for Unified CM, the Unified CM trunk and the Direct Routing trunk, an outage or maintenance on that SBC affects both platforms at once unless a second SBC is configured as a backup route. inferred in context
• Voice routes carry priorities so a lower-priority route's SBCs are tried when the higher-priority route's SBCs are unavailable, while the SBCs listed within a single route are tried in random order. in context
• Direct Routing call routing is made up of voice routing policies (containers of PSTN usages assigned to users), PSTN usages (containers of voice routes), voice routes (a number pattern plus a set of online PSTN gateways) and online PSTN gateways (pointers to SBCs). in context
• When a called number contains an extension (for example +1425XXXXXXX;ext=YYY), the voice route number pattern is matched only against the number without the extension. in context
• If the global (Org-wide default) online voice routing policy is configured, every voice-enabled user inherits it, which can send Calling Plan and Operator Connect users' PSTN calls to a Direct Routing trunk; Microsoft advises custom policies assigned to individual users instead. in context
• When an incoming PSTN call is forwarded or transferred and its ingress SBC is also a candidate egress SBC, Direct Routing ignores that SBC's route priority and tries it first. in context
• For a user with Teams Phone but no Calling Plan license, a call whose number matches no voice route in the user's policy is dropped. in context
• Microsoft's example keeps a dedicated PSTN usage ahead of the International usage specifically to preserve special handling of certain number ranges as local or on-premises calls routed to designated SBCs. in context
• PSTN usages in a voice routing policy are applied in order and once a match is found in one usage the later usages are never evaluated, so a more specific usage must be placed before a catch-all usage. in context
• A voice routing policy assignment can be verified with Get-CsOnlineUser selecting OnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy, and Microsoft provides a self-diagnostic that checks whether a user is correctly configured for Direct Routing (not available in Microsoft 365 Government, 21Vianet or Germany). in context
• The PowerShell chain for Direct Routing call routing is Set-CsOnlinePstnUsage to create a usage, New-CsOnlineVoiceRoute with -NumberPattern, -OnlinePstnGatewayList, -Priority and -OnlinePstnUsages, New-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy, and Grant-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy to assign it to a user. in context
• If a called number contains an extension the voice route number pattern is applied only to the number without the extension. in context
• Direct Routing call routing is built from four elements: an online voice routing policy that contains PSTN usages, PSTN usages that contain voice routes, voice routes that pair a number pattern with a set of online PSTN gateways, and the online PSTN gateway that points at an SBC. in context
• If the global (Org-wide default) online voice routing policy is configured and applied, every voice-enabled user in the organisation inherits it, which can send Calling Plan and Operator Connect users' PSTN calls to a Direct Routing trunk inadvertently. in context
• When an incoming PSTN call is forwarded or transferred and the ingress SBC is also a potential egress SBC, its priority value is ignored and it is prioritised above the other SBCs. in context
• For a user with only a Teams Phone licence, a call whose dialled number matches none of the administrator-created voice route patterns is dropped; only a user who also holds a Microsoft Calling Plan licence falls back to the Calling Plan route automatically. in context
• Voice routes are tried in priority order but the SBCs listed within a single route are tried in random order. in context
• Microsoft 365 admins can run a tenant self-diagnostics test that verifies a user is correctly configured for Direct Routing, and this feature is not available for Microsoft 365 Government, 21Vianet or Germany. in context
• The order of PSTN usages inside a voice routing policy is critical because usages are applied in order and if a match is found in the first usage the later usages are never evaluated; the order is changed with Set-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy. in context
• For a Teams user with a Calling Plan license and an assigned online voice routing policy, a number that matches a policy pattern goes out through Direct Routing, and a number that matches nothing goes out through Calling Plan. For a Teams Phone-only user, an unmatched call is dropped. in context
• PSTN usages in a Teams online voice routing policy are evaluated in order. If a match is found in one usage, later usages are never evaluated. in context
• When a called number carries an extension (for example +1425XXXXXXX;ext=YYY), Teams voice route number patterns are matched only against the number without the extension. in context
• Teams voice routes are tried in priority order, but the SBCs within a single voice route are tried in random order. in context
• Configuring the global (Org-wide default) online voice routing policy makes every voice-enabled user inherit it, which can route Calling Plan and Operator Connect users' PSTN calls to a Direct Routing trunk, so Microsoft advises custom policies assigned to individual users. in context
• A user with Teams Phone but no Calling Plan license whose dialed number matches no voice route in their policy has the call dropped, whereas a Calling Plan user falls back to Calling Plan routing. in context
• A voice routing policy is created with New-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy <name> -OnlinePstnUsages <usages>, assigned with Grant-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy -Identity <user> -PolicyName <name>, and checked with Get-CsOnlineUser <user> | select OnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy. in context
• A PSTN usage is created with Set-CsOnlinePstnUsage -Identity Global -Usage @{Add="<name>"} or in the admin center under Voice > Direct Routing > Manage PSTN usage records, and listed with (Get-CsOnlinePSTNUsage).Usage. in context
• SBCs within one voice route are tried in random order, a lower-priority route matching the same pattern is tried when none of them is available, and the call is dropped if no SBC is available. in context
• Direct Routing call routing is built from voice routing policies that contain PSTN usages, PSTN usages that contain voice routes, and voice routes that pair a number pattern with a set of online PSTN gateways. in context
• PSTN usages in a voice routing policy are applied in order, and once a match is found in one usage the later usages are never evaluated. in context
• A voice route is created with New-CsOnlineVoiceRoute using -Identity, -NumberPattern, -OnlinePstnGatewayList, -Priority and -OnlinePstnUsages, or in the admin center under Voice > Direct Routing > Voice routes. in context
• If every SBC on every matching route is unavailable, the call is dropped. in context
• In Microsoft's example, putting the catch-all 'International' usage ahead of 'US and Canada' sends calls to +1 425 numbers to the International route's SBCs, bypassing the more specific Redmond routes. in context
• Microsoft's documented order for Direct Routing call routing is: create the PSTN usage, create voice routes that reference it and the SBCs, create a voice routing policy containing the usage, then assign the policy to users. in context
• Microsoft cautions that configuring the global (Org-wide default) online voice routing policy makes every voice-enabled user inherit it. That can send PSTN calls from Calling Plan and Operator Connect users to a Direct Routing trunk by mistake, so Microsoft recommends custom policies assigned per user. in context
• When an inbound PSTN call is forwarded or transferred, and the ingress SBC is also a candidate egress SBC, Teams ignores that SBC's route priority and tries it before the other SBCs. in context
• If the dialed number matches no admin-created voice route pattern, a Teams Phone user without a Calling Plan has the call dropped. A user who also holds a Microsoft Calling Plan license is routed through Calling Plan, which applies automatically as the last route. in context
• If the called number contains an extension (for example +1425XXXXXXX;ext=YYY), the voice route number pattern is applied only to the part before the extension. in context
• To change PSTN usage order in a voice routing policy, run Set-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy with -OnlinePstnUsages @{Replace=...} and list the usages in the new order. in context
• To send all calls to the same SBC, Microsoft documents setting a voice route's NumberPattern to '.*'. in context
• When several voice routes in a usage match the called number, Teams tries them in priority order. If none of the SBCs on the higher-priority route is available, it tries the lower-priority route. in context
• Direct Routing call routing has four elements. A voice routing policy (also called a call routing policy) holds PSTN usages. PSTN usages hold voice routes. Each voice route pairs a number pattern with online PSTN gateways, and an online PSTN gateway points to an SBC and holds its per-SBC configuration. in context
• Voice routes have priorities, but the SBCs listed within a single route are tried in random order. in context
• PSTN usages in a voice routing policy are evaluated in order. Once a match is found in one usage, later usages are never evaluated, so usage order in the policy is critical. in context
• If a Calling Plan user is also assigned an online voice routing policy, Teams checks each outbound dialed number against that policy's number patterns. A match routes the call over Direct Routing; no match sends it through the Calling Plan PSTN infrastructure. in context
• Direct Routing outbound call routing is built from voice routing policies containing PSTN usages, which contain voice routes that map a called-number pattern to online PSTN gateways (SBCs). in context
• Configuring the global online voice routing policy applies it to all voice-enabled users and can send Calling Plan and Operator Connect users' PSTN calls into a Direct Routing trunk; Microsoft advises custom policies assigned per user. in context
• When an incoming PSTN call is forwarded or transferred and the ingress SBC is also a possible egress SBC, Direct Routing ignores route priority and tries the ingress SBC first. in context
• For a Calling Plan user who also has an online voice routing policy, dialled numbers that match a policy pattern go through the Direct Routing trunk, and all other numbers go through the Calling Plan. in context
• Microsoft cautions that configuring the global online voice routing policy applies it to all voice-enabled users, which can send Calling Plan and Operator Connect users' PSTN calls to a Direct Routing trunk unintentionally. in context
• When an incoming PSTN call is forwarded or transferred and the SBC it arrived on is also a possible egress SBC, Direct Routing ignores that SBC's priority and tries it first. in context
• Routing is built with Set-CsOnlinePstnUsage, New-CsOnlineVoiceRoute (NumberPattern, OnlinePstnGatewayList, OnlinePstnUsages) and New-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy, assigned with Grant-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy, and checked with Get-CsOnlineUser ... | select OnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy. in context
• Direct Routing call routing is built from voice routing policies that contain PSTN usages, which contain voice routes pairing a number pattern with online PSTN gateways. in context
• Teams Direct Routing voice routes can designate SBCs as active and backup; when the active SBC is unavailable for a route the call goes to a backup SBC. in context
• If no SBC in any matching Direct Routing voice route is available, the call is dropped, unless the user also has a Calling Plan licence, which applies automatically as the last route. in context
• For a forwarded or transferred inbound PSTN call, if the ingress SBC is also a candidate egress SBC, Teams ignores its priority and tries it first. in context
• Within one Direct Routing voice route, the listed SBCs are tried in random order; route priority orders routes, not SBCs within a route. in context

Cite this source record

APA

WarmTransfer. (2026, September 10). Configure call routing for Direct Routing. WarmTransfer. https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/ms-learn-dr-voice-routing

BibTeX

@misc{warmtransfer-ms-learn-dr-voice-routing,
  title  = {Configure call routing for Direct Routing},
  author = {{WarmTransfer}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/ms-learn-dr-voice-routing},
  note   = {Microsoft, accessed 2026-09-21}
}