{"id":16858,"date":"2022-11-15T11:00:49","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T10:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.savecall.de\/what-is-direct-routing-and-why-do-you-need-it-for-microsoft-teams\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T15:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:14:13","slug":"what-is-direct-routing-and-why-do-you-need-it-for-microsoft-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.savecall.de\/en\/what-is-direct-routing-and-why-do-you-need-it-for-microsoft-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"What is direct routing and why do you need it for Microsoft TEAMS?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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What is direct routing and why do you need it for Microsoft TEAMS?<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Trusted Advisor f\u00fcr Sourcing von IT & Telekommunikation<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Direct Routing in Microsoft Teams: The telephone system of the new working world<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Efficient, flexible and location-independent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How well is your current communication solution prepared to seamlessly combine hybrid work and traditional telephony?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
The shift to working from home<\/a> accelerated by COVID-19 led to a massive increase in the use of Microsoft Teams<\/a><\/strong>, Cisco Webex<\/strong>, Zoom<\/strong> and similar UC&C solutions. However, many companies are not fully utilizing their potential. With Direct Routing<\/strong>, Microsoft Teams<\/strong> becomes the central communication platform that makes traditional telephone systems superfluous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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In a nutshell:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Seamless integration:<\/strong> Teams is connected directly to the public telephone network (PSTN).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Extended communication:<\/strong> Internal and external calls via Teams, on any device, regardless of location.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Full functionality:<\/strong> All the usual features of a classic telephone system, including VoIP and call forwarding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Optimized collaboration:<\/strong> Unified platform for voice, video, chat and document sharing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Central control:<\/strong> Administration and monitoring via the Office 365 dashboard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The solution:<\/strong> Direct routing connects Microsoft Teams to the public telephone network via a Session Border Controller (SBC), turning Teams into a full, central telephone system for hybrid teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What this article covers:<\/strong> What direct routing for Microsoft Teams is, what business benefits it offers, who it suits, and how voice and collaboration come together in a single solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Book a consultation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Table of Contents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The COVID-19 constraint<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Why has there been such an increase in voice calls?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
What is direct routing?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
What are the business benefits?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Who is direct routing suitable for?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
What comes next?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
How SAVECALL supports your direct routing rollout for Microsoft Teams<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Frequently asked questions about direct routing for Microsoft Teams<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The COVID-19 constraint<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The forced shift to working from home due to COVID-19 led to a massive increase in the use of Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Zoom and other Unified Communication and Collaboration (UC&C) tools. However, even these innovative tools can have their limitations if not implemented correctly, and many users are unsure when to use which tool and why often only a subset of features is available. Direct routing in Microsoft Teams turns your Teams into a powerful telephone system and central communication platform for your company. Teams offers you more call and communication options than you previously thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the lockdown, the use of Microsoft Teams increased by 894 percent, and the use of Zoom by 677 percent. Employees increasingly used video calling, instant messaging and other UC&C solutions to stay productive and in touch with their colleagues. During that period, the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls as well as traditional voice calls also rose sharply. Many companies have since merged their old telephone systems into their collaboration solutions, such as Teams. The result is simpler communication and greater user-friendliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why has there been such an increase in voice calls?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One of the main reasons is that while Microsoft Teams and other UC&C solutions are great tools to help employees stay productive and in touch with their colleagues, they were not originally intended for remote use. The solution is to connect Microsoft Teams to the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN)<\/a> so that employees can be just as productive from home as they are from the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is direct routing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You may never have heard of direct routing for Microsoft Teams, but if you are a Microsoft Teams user, you will certainly come across it. Direct routing connects your Microsoft Teams and Office 365 software to the public telephone network. It allows your employees to make and receive external calls, from any location, on any device running the Teams application: fixed or mobile, as a normal IP phone or softphone. Direct routing completes the user experience of your Microsoft Teams users and gives them access to all the features you would expect from a traditional telephone system. You get an integrated solution that helps you improve your remote working offering and gives employees a home working experience that is more similar to working in the office, delivered technically through a Session Border Controller (SBC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are the business benefits?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Direct routing improves your business communication. By integrating direct routing into your Microsoft Teams environment, home workers can work much more like they do in the office, and Teams becomes a true cloud phone system. By connecting Teams to the public telephone network, your customers, suppliers and partners can call you directly in Teams from their own landlines or cell phones. Likewise, you can call them directly from Teams on their landlines and cell phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is direct routing suitable for?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Every company, in any industry, public or private sector. Remote working is now common in almost every industry worldwide. By implementing direct routing in Microsoft Teams, you gain the freedom to communicate and collaborate as flexibly as possible. All your communication is mapped in Teams, whether collaboration, document sharing and video conferencing or classic telephony. All in one place, quite simply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What comes next?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hybrid working models have since become firmly established across most industries, so companies must continue to provide their employees with home office capabilities. According to a widely-cited Gartner survey from the COVID-19 era, 74 percent of organizations planned to make a permanent shift to more remote work, a trend that has since been confirmed. Direct routing is a valuable tool for equipping these home offices: by integrating direct routing with Microsoft Teams, you get a single, converged platform for voice and collaboration. You can extend your voice platform across your global wide area network (WAN) or the internet and have centralized control over it from your Microsoft 365 dashboard. And your employees don’t even need expensive desk phones on their desks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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How SAVECALL supports your direct routing rollout for Microsoft Teams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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SAVECALL advises independently on whether Microsoft Calling Plan or direct routing via your own SIP trunk is the right fit for your Microsoft 365 environment, and supports you in choosing the Session Border Controller, number porting and licensing. For more on setup, licences and cost of Microsoft Teams Phone, see our MS Teams guide<\/a>. We handle the tendering, migration management and ongoing operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Since hybrid working models have become firmly established in most industries, equipping employees with the right home office capabilities remains an ongoing task. Direct routing turns Microsoft Teams into a single, converged platform for voice and collaboration, without expensive desk phones. If you would like to discuss the questions raised in this article or find out more about direct routing, please get in touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Book a consultation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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$\"Frank$ <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frank Frommknecht<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Key Account Consultant, SAVECALL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Has supported companies for over 20 years in selecting and optimizing their connectivity solutions. His focus: making complex telecommunications understandable from the customer\u2019s perspective and finding the right solution strategically.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Telecom & IT sourcing. Worldwide. Carrier-independent.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Selection & operation of worldwide connectivity & cloud infrastructure. Without vendor risk & unnecessary costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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80+ carriers worldwide<\/li>\n\n\n\n
One point of contact<\/li>\n\n\n\n
One SLA<\/li>\n\n\n\n
One portal: mySAVECALL<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Min. 20% savings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Microsoft Learn: Plan Direct Routing<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
SAVECALL: Microsoft Teams Phone: Setup, Licences & Cost<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Frequently asked questions about direct routing for Microsoft Teams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is direct routing for Microsoft Teams?<\/strong>
Direct routing connects Microsoft Teams to the public telephone network (PSTN) via a Session Border Controller (SBC). This allows employees to make and receive external calls directly from Teams, regardless of location or device. Teams becomes more than a collaboration tool, turning into a full, central telephone system that can replace classic PBX systems.<\/p> <\/div>
How does direct routing differ from the Microsoft Calling Plan?<\/strong>
Microsoft Calling Plan sources numbers and connectivity directly from Microsoft, which is easy to set up but only available in selected countries and tends to cost more per minute. Direct routing instead connects Teams via your own SIP trunk and an SBC. Benefits include keeping existing numbers and contracts, significantly cheaper minute rates, and the ability to integrate international sites.<\/p> <\/div>
What business benefits does direct routing offer?<\/strong>
Direct routing turns Microsoft Teams into a central platform for voice, video, chat and document sharing. Customers, suppliers and partners can reach employees directly in Teams using their usual landline or mobile number, and vice versa. Administration runs centrally through the Microsoft 365 dashboard, expensive desk phones become unnecessary, and home workers stay just as reachable as in the office.<\/p> <\/div>
Which companies is direct routing suitable for?<\/strong>
Direct routing is fundamentally suitable for companies of any size and industry, public or private sector. Organisations with hybrid working models, multiple locations or international teams benefit particularly, since the voice platform can be extended across a global WAN or the internet and managed centrally.<\/p> <\/div>
What do you technically need for direct routing?<\/strong>
Technically, direct routing requires a Session Border Controller (SBC) that connects Microsoft Teams to a SIP trunk or the public telephone network, along with the appropriate Microsoft 365 and Teams Phone licences for the users involved. The SBC can run as dedicated hardware or as a cloud solution and handles secure signalling between Teams and the telephone network.<\/p> <\/div>
Does Microsoft Teams with direct routing fully replace a classic telephone system?<\/strong>
Yes, with full direct routing integration, Microsoft Teams takes over all the core functions of a classic telephone system, including call forwarding, VoIP telephony and number management, alongside video, chat and document sharing in a single application. For most hybrid companies, this makes a separate, dedicated telephone system unnecessary.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n
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