PSTN connectivity options

Publisher

Microsoft (Microsoft Learn)

URL

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/pstn-connectivity

Published

2026-08-06

Updated

unknown

Accessed

2026-09-06

HTTP status

200

License

Microsoft Learn documentation under Microsoft site terms; short excerpts and locators only

Source notes citing this source

• With Teams Direct Routing any PSTN operator can be used, integrated through a certified session border controller run by the customer, an integrator or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider. in context
• Teams Phone has four PSTN connectivity models: Microsoft Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing. in context
• A Teams tenant can combine multiple PSTN connectivity options, and multiple operators, to serve different users, locations and regions. in context
• Microsoft publishes which operators take part in Operator Connect and the countries or regions where each serves in the Microsoft 365 Operator Connect directory, not in Microsoft Learn. in context
• Teams Phone Mobile supports user phone numbers only and does not support Audio Conferencing or voice application numbers. in context
• With Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, PSTN access, phone numbers, emergency screening service in the U.S. and support come from Microsoft with a 99.999% reliability Service Level Agreement. in context
• Under Direct Routing the organisation can use any PSTN operator, with the integration achieved through a certified SBC procured, installed and managed by the customer, its integrator, or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider. in context
• Microsoft Calling Plan, Operator Connect and Direct Routing support user phone numbers, Audio Conferencing numbers and voice application numbers such as auto attendants and call queues, while Teams Phone Mobile supports user phone numbers only and does not support Audio Conferencing or voice application numbers. in context
• Teams Phone has four PSTN connectivity models - Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing - and an organisation can equip a tenant with as many of them as it wants and mix them per user population. in context
• With Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Microsoft is the operator and supplies PSTN access, phone numbers, US emergency screening and support with a 99.999% reliability SLA; it requires a Calling Plan license. in context
• Direct Routing lets an organization use any PSTN operator by connecting it through a certified SBC that is procured, installed and managed by the customer, an integrator or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider. in context
• Microsoft lists four PSTN connectivity models for Teams Phone: Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing. in context
• Teams Phone Mobile supports user phone numbers only; unlike Calling Plan, Operator Connect and Direct Routing, it does not support Audio Conferencing or voice application (auto attendant and call queue) numbers. in context
• To use PSTN telephony with Teams Phone, a user account must be licensed with the Teams Phone application and also be equipped with a PSTN solution from a PSTN service provider. in context
• Teams Phone has four PSTN connectivity models: Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing. in context
• With Calling Plans, Microsoft is the PSTN operator: PSTN access, phone numbers, US emergency screening and telephone support come from Microsoft, backed by a 99.999% reliability SLA. in context
• A single Teams tenant can combine Calling Plans with other PSTN connectivity options (and multiple operators) for different users, locations and personas. in context
• Calling Plan, Operator Connect and Direct Routing all support user, Audio Conferencing and voice application numbers; Teams Phone Mobile supports user numbers only. in context
• Direct Routing differs from Calling Plans in that it requires a contract with a third-party PSTN provider plus a certified Session Border Controller procured and managed by the customer, an integrator or a DRaaS provider. in context
• Operator Connect differs from Calling Plans in that it requires a contract with a certified third-party operator, which supplies PSTN access, numbers, support and SLA, while users and numbers are still managed in Teams admin center. in context
• Operator Connect requires a contract with a third-party service provider. It does not require a Microsoft Calling Plan license. in context
• A single Teams tenant can combine several PSTN connectivity options, including Operator Connect alongside Calling Plans, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing. It can also use the same option with more than one operator. in context
• Operator Connect supports user phone numbers, Audio Conferencing numbers and voice application numbers (for example Auto Attendants and Call Queues). in context
• With Operator Connect, the certified partner supplies PSTN access, phone numbers, U.S. emergency screening service, support, the SLA and other telephone-service products. Microsoft does not supply these. in context
• Microsoft's PSTN comparison table gives the management model as 'Participating mobile operator' for Teams Phone Mobile, 'Shared between your participating telecommunications provider and Microsoft Teams' for Operator Connect, and a customer-managed SBC for Direct Routing. in context
• With Teams Phone Mobile, PSTN access, phone numbers, US emergency screening service, support and the SLA come from the certified Teams Phone Mobile partner, which requires a contract with that third-party provider. in context
• Operator Connect, Calling Plans and Direct Routing support Audio Conferencing and voice application numbers, whereas Teams Phone Mobile does not. in context
• Microsoft describes Operator Connect as using certified third-party landline operators and Teams Phone Mobile as using certified third-party mobile operators whose mobile SIM numbers are also assigned as the user's Teams number. in context
• Direct Routing integrates a PSTN operator with the Teams tenant through a certified Session Border Controller procured and managed by the customer, an integrator or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider. in context
• Teams Phone connects to the PSTN through Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile or Direct Routing, and a tenant can combine several of these. in context
• To make and receive PSTN calls, a Teams user must be licensed for Teams Phone and also be equipped with a PSTN solution from a chosen provider. in context
• Teams Phone offers four PSTN connectivity options (Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, Direct Routing), which can be combined in one tenant; a user needs a Teams Phone licence plus a PSTN solution to make and receive PSTN calls. in context
• Without a private BYOC or Direct Routing interconnect, a Genesys-to-Teams transfer is an ordinary PSTN call to the Teams user's public number, so it only works for Teams users who have a Teams Phone licence and PSTN connectivity. inferred in context
• Microsoft directs organizations to choose Teams Phone PSTN connectivity from their management preference carrier relationship calling patterns and existing telephony infrastructure and permits different models for users locations and business requirements. in context
• Microsoft documents four Teams Phone PSTN connectivity models: Microsoft Calling Plan Operator Connect Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing. in context
• The Teams Phone PSTN connectivity comparison assigns a Microsoft-managed model to Calling Plan a shared operator-and-Microsoft model to Operator Connect a participating-mobile-operator model to Teams Phone Mobile and a customer-managed SBC model to Direct Routing. in context
• With Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Microsoft is the operator supplying PSTN access, numbers and support, with a stated 99.999% reliability SLA. in context
• Teams Direct Routing works with any PSTN operator but requires a certified session border controller procured and managed by the customer, an integrator or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider. in context
• Microsoft documents four PSTN connectivity models for Teams Phone: Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing. in context
• A single Teams tenant can use more than one PSTN connectivity model at the same time, for example different models for different user personas or regions. in context
• Teams Phone Mobile supports user phone numbers only; it does not support Audio Conferencing numbers or voice application numbers for auto attendants and call queues. in context
• Operator Connect uses certified third-party operators already integrated with Microsoft; the customer enables the operator in the Teams admin center and assigns that operator's numbers to users. in context

Cite this source record

APA

WarmTransfer. (2026, August 6). PSTN connectivity options. WarmTransfer. https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/ms-learn-teams-pstn-connectivity

BibTeX

@misc{warmtransfer-ms-learn-teams-pstn-connectivity,
  title  = {PSTN connectivity options},
  author = {{WarmTransfer}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/ms-learn-teams-pstn-connectivity},
  note   = {Microsoft (Microsoft Learn), accessed 2026-09-06}
}