Guide
Teams Direct Routing vs Operator Connect
Direct Routing and Operator Connect both add phone-network calling to Microsoft Teams through a carrier instead of Microsoft's Calling Plan. Direct Routing pairs the carrier's session border controller with your tenant and gives the most control over numbers and routing; Operator Connect is a Microsoft-managed marketplace with simpler admin and less flexibility. Kall8 provides Direct Routing at $16.95 for the first user and $11.95 for each additional.
| Feature | Direct Routing (Kall8) | Operator Connect | Microsoft Calling Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs the SBC | The carrier (Kall8) | The carrier, certified by Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Setup | Tenant authorization from the Kall8 portal; Kall8 configures routes and assigns numbers | Enable the operator in the Teams admin center; assign numbers there | Buy licenses and numbers in the admin center |
| Control | Full: custom routing, number mix (local, toll-free, vanity), analytics, recording | Limited to what the marketplace exposes | Limited |
| Numbers | Carrier-owned; port in free; toll-free and vanity on the same account | Carrier-owned; porting via the operator | Microsoft-provided; limited toll-free |
| Price basis | Per user, local number included (Kall8 $16.95 first, $11.95 additional) | Per user, set by each operator | Per user, Microsoft list price; domestic and international tiers |
| Best for | Businesses that want one carrier for Teams, numbers and analytics, or need routing control | Admins who want everything inside the Teams admin center | Small deployments already buying everything from Microsoft |
Practical differences
- Mixed numbers. Direct Routing lets a sales team keep a vanity toll-free number and a local number per rep on the same carrier account; Operator Connect handles what the operator publishes.
- Migration. Both port numbers; Direct Routing lets you point a Kall8 number at Teams users and at outside phones or the Kall8 app in the same routing plan during a transition.
- Support. With Direct Routing you call the carrier for everything on the phone-network side; with Operator Connect, Microsoft and the operator share it.
Setup steps and prerequisites for Kall8: Microsoft Teams Direct Routing.
Questions
Direct Routing: Kall8 runs the session border controller and the numbers, and connects them to your tenant. $16.95 for the first user and $11.95 for each additional, local number included.
Yes. Both models require Microsoft Teams Phone (Standard, or included in E5) for each calling user; the carrier replaces Microsoft's Calling Plan, not the Phone license.
Yes. Numbers port to the carrier in both models; with Direct Routing at Kall8 there is no port-in fee.
Per-user prices are similar across the market; Direct Routing carriers can usually bundle numbers, toll-free lines and analytics into one bill, and there is no marketplace mark-up.
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