It’s 9:42 AM. A client is calling your sales line while half your team is in a Teams meeting. The call goes to voicemail again, and reps end up jumping between Teams, a desk phone, and their cell just to return one call.
That gap between Teams and your phone system is exactly what Direct Routing closes. It connects your existing phone numbers to Microsoft Teams Phone so your team can handle business calls inside Teams, without changing how they already work.
What is Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?
Direct Routing connects Microsoft Teams Phone to the public telephone network through a certified Session Border Controller (SBC). In plain terms, it lets your business numbers ring directly inside Teams (on desktop, laptop, or mobile), without forcing you to switch platforms or rip out existing contracts.
Why are businesses moving to Teams Phone?
Adoption is accelerating. Microsoft Teams Phone passed 26 million PSTN users worldwide at the end of 2025, up from 20 million in April 2024, a roughly 30% jump in under two years¹. For organizations already running Microsoft 365, putting voice inside Teams removes daily friction and simplifies the stack.
What do you actually get with IPFone Direct Routing?
Three things change daily operations:
- Calls inside Teams, on any device. Inbound and outbound calls run in the same app your team already uses for chat and meetings, with no second platform to manage.
- Premium voice features built in. IVR, contact center, call reporting, and advanced calling features live inside your Teams environment so you can shape the customer experience without extra point solutions.
- Reliability you can plan around. A robust voice network architecture keeps calls connected even during outages, so your business keeps running when something goes wrong upstream.
Why one provider matters
Direct Routing typically involves multiple pieces: Microsoft for the Teams Phone license, an SBC for connectivity, and a SIP trunk provider for the phone numbers. When those sit with different vendors, it is not always clear who owns a problem when something breaks.
IPFone brings those pieces together under one provider, with simplified billing, white-glove support, and centralized account management. That means fewer moving parts to coordinate and less time spent troubleshooting when issues come up.
Ready to make Teams your phone system?
Direct Routing does not have to mean coordinating multiple vendors and chasing answers when something breaks. With every piece under one provider, setup becomes a clear first step toward modern, AI-ready business communications.
Request a quote from IPFone and get your Teams Direct Routing set up, deployed, and supported by one team, with one point of contact, before and after go-live.
Sources:
1. UC Today, “Microsoft Teams Phone PSTN Users Surges to 26 Million, up 30% in 20 Months”: https://www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/microsoft-teams-phone-pstn-users-surges-to-26-million-up-30-in-20-months/
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Sol Narosky is a journalist and content marketing specialist with over six years of experience covering technology, innovation, and emerging digital trends.
