It’s impossible to deny Microsoft’s impact on the communications market. The Microsoft Teams ecosystem has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years, introducing an environment where companies can successfully build a complete, collaborative ecosystem for their staff. 

Microsoft Teams has more than 270 million monthly active users, and demand for the solution has increased. Part of what makes Microsoft Teams such a compelling choice for UCaaS and hybrid team innovation is the ability to take your communication provider with you into Teams.

Through Direct Routing and Operator Connect, companies can preserve their existing relationships with communications providers while taking advantage of the Microsoft Teams ecosystem’s unique benefits. Let’s take a closer look at Microsoft Teams Operator Connect Availability, options, and pricing. 

Operator Connect Availability: Who Can Access Operator Connect?

Operator Connect was announced as a big sister solution to Direct Routing during the 2021 Microsoft “Ignite” conference. The solution initially appeared in public preview, offering access to the flexibility of Direct Routing without the complexities of things like PowerShell and coding. 

The Operator Connect program became generally available for the first time in September 2021 and has been growing in size ever since. 

Operator Connect is Microsoft’s operator-managed solution for PSTN connectivity. It allows business users to choose an existing operator within the Microsoft partner network to handle the link from MS Teams to the PSTN environment on their behalf. 

With Operator Connect, you can maintain your existing operator contacts (provided they’re part of the OC program). You’ll also be able to quickly deploy new numbers and calling features in Teams from your admin centre, rather than having to rely on reaching out to your third-party direct routing provider. Everything from PSTN calling services to SBCs (Session Border Controllers) are managed on your behalf by your operator, saving on management and purchase costs. 

Operator Connect even comes with access to technical support from your chosen operator, shared service level agreements, and Azure-powered direct peering for reliability.

Operator Connect Providers: Who Offers Operator Connect?

Microsoft’s number of available providers is constantly growing as more companies discover the benefits of partnering with the “Teams” ecosystem. Indeed, many brands have been scrambling to join the Microsoft Teams environment in the last year as the solution grows increasingly popular. 

When Operator Connect was initially announced, it already had several high-quality providers, including BT, Intrado, NTT, Swisscom, and Verizon. Today, the list of Operator Connect providers includes:

  • AT&T Business
  • BT
  • CallTower
  • Colt
  • Deutsche Telekom
  • Gamma
  • Intrado
  • Liquid 
  • NTT
  • NuWave
  • Optus
  • Orange Business Services
  • Proximus
  • Pure IP
  • Rogers
  • Singtel
  • Swisscom
  • Tata Communications
  • Telefonica Global Solutions
  • Telenor
  • Telia
  • Telstra
  • Verizon

According to Microsoft, the company will continue to add operators to the program. You can see if any new providers have been added to the system in the Operator Directory. 

Operator Connect Providers (Conferencing and SBC)

At the same time as the announcement for Operator Connect, Microsoft also revealed “Operator Connect Conferencing”. According to Microsoft, this service uses the same administrator interface you’ll get with Operator Connect while allowing for the addition of dial-in numbers through a Microsoft Audio Conferencing bridge. 

The new Operator Connect Conferencing solution also launched into general availability simultaneously as Operator Connect. It offered companies a valuable way to bring their conferencing operator into their UCaaS environment. The solution allows brands to access expanded geographic dial-in coverage and enhanced support and reliability for conferencing.

The Operator Connect providers partnered with Microsoft need to undergo additional certification to offer conferencing solutions alongside calling. Currently, the partners offering Operator Connect conferencing include:

  • BT
  • Deutsche Telekom
  • Intrado
  • NTT
  • Orange Business Services
  • Telenor

During the announcement of the general availability status of Microsoft Teams Operator Connect, Microsoft also announced the Managed SBC for Operator Connect solution from MetaSwitch. This is the first Operator Connect SBC solution provided by Microsoft. The service is built on the Microsoft-certified Perimeta SBC. 

The Perimeta SBC can fulfil the operator-hosted, multi-tenant SBC requirement for operators participating in the “OC” program. According to Microsoft, the MetaSwitch managed SBC addresses provisioning, configuration, operations, scaling, and more, supported through a virtual network operations centre. What’s more, customers get a 24/7 support commitment. 

The Managed SBC for Operator Connect allows the operator in the telecoms space to accelerate their entry into the market and deliver a more comprehensive customer experience. 

Operator Connect Pricing and Costs

The price of your Operator Connect services and solutions will depend on several critical factors, including which provider you want to work with and what kind of usage you need. You’ll be paying for the services you use through Operator Connect, so your vendor should be able to give you some valuable insights regarding pricing so that you can budget accordingly. 

Notably, users who need to use Operator Connect conferencing numbers to join meetings with teams will require a Microsoft Audio conferencing subscription or an operator connect conferencing license. 

The standard audio conferencing subscription: 

Microsoft’s basic audio conferencing subscription can be purchased as an add-on for a Microsoft Teams license. It’s also standard in Office 365 E5 and Office 365 E5 plans. 

This solution allows users to access phone numbers via Microsoft and expand audio conferencing bridges with numbers from an operator. Users can also determine which calls (outbound) in their system they want to route through Operator Connect and which to route through Microsoft. 

Operator connect conferencing license: 

The Operator Connect conferencing license is also available as an add-on for your Microsoft Teams license. 

This solution allows subscribers to access numbers from an operator, but no phone numbers are included from Microsoft. All calls (outbound from Teams meetings) need to be routed through an operator. With Operator Connect Conferencing, Microsoft bills an organisation based on the audio conferencing license they use. 

 

 



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