Microsoft Teams Direct Routing is a deployment method that connects your organization’s existing telephony infrastructure to Microsoft Teams, enabling users to make and receive PSTN calls directly within the Teams platform. It uses a certified Session Border Controller (SBC) to bridge your telephony provider and Teams. Organizations that prefer not to manage their own infrastructure can also use Direct Routing through a managed provider like Momentum.

Direct Routing allows organizations to use their existing telephony providers and infrastructure, offering greater flexibility and control over carriers, call routing, and costs. A Microsoft Calling Plan, by contrast, is a fully cloud-based telephony solution managed entirely by Microsoft. Direct Routing is typically preferred by organizations that want to leverage existing telecom investments, need global coverage through multiple carriers, or require GCC High compliance.

Direct Routing gives organizations the ability to maximize their existing telephony investments while gaining full PSTN calling within Microsoft Teams. Key benefits include flexibility in choosing telephony providers, the ability to integrate with third-party systems like PBXs and analog devices, support for GCC High environments, and access to global coverage through carrier relationships. It also offers more control over call routing, failover, and cost management compared to Microsoft Calling Plans.