Choose an all-in-the-cloud solution or bring your own telephony

Microsoft carrier to Office 365

Telephony How to begin Teams
Solutions Microsoft supports several options as you begin your journey to Teams in the Microsoft cloud. Decide which Microsoft telephony solution (Phone System in the cloud or Enterprise Voice
on-premises) is right for users in your organization, and decide how to connect to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) by answering some questions. Let’s get started!

Consider these questions:

Is Microsoft’s PSTN Calling Plan available in your region? Does your current legacy PBX offer unique features that are critical
Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
Do you have an existing Skype for Business Server deployment?
Do you want or need to keep your current telephony carrier? to your business?
Are your users homed in Skype for Business on premises, in the cloud on
Skype for Business Online, or both? For example, do you need to keep your current carrier because of an existing contract? Do any or all of your users require features not currently offered in
Phone System?
Phone System (Office 365) Do you want to move on-premises users to the cloud? Do you have an existing on-premises legacy PBX that you want or need to keep?

Phone System is Microsoft's technology for enabling call control and Private
Branch Exchange (PBX) capabilities in the Office 365 cloud with Microsoft Choose your solution:
Teams and/or Skype for Business Online. Phone System works with Teams
or Skype for Business Online clients and certified devices. Phone System Option Option Option Option Option 5

allows you to replace your existing PBX system with a set of features directly
delivered from Office 365 and tightly integrated into the company’s cloud Phone System with Direct Phone System with own carrier via
Phone System with Calling Plan Phone System with own carrier via Enterprise Voice in Skype for
productivity experience. To connect Phone System to the Public Switched
routing to a carrier hosting Skype for Business Server OR
Telephone Network (PSTN), you can choose Microsoft’s Calling Plan or your Direct Routing Business Server with own carrier
own telephony carrier. SBC and Trunk Cloud Connector Edition
Phone System in the cloud; Enterprise Voice on-premises;
Phone System in the cloud; connectivity to Phone System in the cloud; connectivity to
Enterprise Voice All in the cloud for Teams or Skype for
Business Online users on-premises telephony network for Teams
connectivity to 3rd party
telephony network for Teams
on-premises telephony network for Skype for connectivity to on-premises telephony
network for Skype for Business on-
Skype for Business Server (on-premises) users
users
Business Online users
premises users
Enterprise Voice is Microsoft's technology for enabling call control and
Private Branch Exchange (PBX) capabilities in the on-premises Skype for
Business Server. This option can only be connected to the Public Switched
Telephone Network using your own telephony carrier.

Connection to Public Switched

Telephone Network (PSTN)
• Microsoft Phone System with added Domestic or • Connect your own supported SBC to Microsoft Phone • Connect your own supported SBC to • Connect your own supported SBC to Microsoft Phone • Connect your own supported SBC to Enterprise
International Calling Plans that enables calling to System directly without need of additional on-premises Microsoft Phone System directly without System via Skype for Business Server or Skype for Voice System in Skype for Business on-premises
phones around the world (depending on the level of software. need of additional on-premises software. Business Cloud Connector Edition deployed on-premises. Server.
service being licensed).
Calling Plan (Office 365) • Because PSTN Calling Plan operates out of Office 365,
• Use virtually any telephony carrier with Microsoft
Phone System.
• Use virtually any telephony carrier with
Microsoft Phone System.
• Use virtually any telephony carrier with Microsoft Phone
System.
•

•
Use if you need local survivability.
Use virtually any telephony carrier with Microsoft
this option does not require deployment or Can be configured and managed by • If you already have Skype for Business Server on-premises
This option connects Microsoft’s Office 365 Phone System to the Public • Can be configured and managed by customers or by • Phone System.
maintenance of any on-premises deployment. customers or by your carrier or partner (ask if you can leverage it; if you do not, you can deploy a
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to enable calls to landlines and your carrier or partner (ask if your carrier or partner
your carrier or partner provides this option). lighter version – Cloud Connector Edition. • Most complex option to deploy and maintain.
mobile phones around the world. With Calling Plan, Microsoft is your PSTN • Customers can connect a supported SBC via Direct provides this option).
carrier. Routing for interoperability with 3rd party PBX, analog Configure interoperability between your
• Configure interoperability between your telephony •
devices, and other 3rd party telephony equipment telephony equipment—such as a third-party
equipment—such as a third-party PBX and analog

Connect your own telephony carrier

supported by the SBC. PBX and analog devices—and Microsoft
devices—and Microsoft Phone System.
Phone System.

(Office 365 and Skype for Business on-premises) Infrastructure requirements Infrastructure requirements Infrastructure requirements Infrastructure requirements Infrastructure requirements
Requires uninterrupted connection to Office 365 Yes Requires uninterrupted connection to Office 365 Yes Requires uninterrupted connection to Office Requires uninterrupted connection to Office 365 Yes Requires uninterrupted connection to Office 365 No
This option connects either Phone System in Office 365 or Enterprise Voice
system in Skype for Business on-premises to your telephony network. This Available worldwide* No Available worldwide Yes 365 Yes Available worldwide Yes Available worldwide Yes
option requires a supported Session Border Controller (SBC). In some cases, Requires deploying and maintaining a Requires deploying and maintaining a Available worldwide Yes Requires deploying and maintaining a Requires deploying and maintaining a
this option might require additional Microsoft software deployed on- supported Session Border Controller (SBC) No supported Session Border Controller (SBC) Yes supported Session Border Controller (SBC) Yes supported Session Border Controller (SBC) Yes
Requires deploying and maintaining a
premises. Requires contract with 3rd party carrier No Requires contract with 3rd party carrier* Yes supported Session Border Controller (SBC) Yes Requires contract with 3rd party carrier Yes Requires contract with 3rd party carrier Yes
Requires deploying and maintaining Skype for Requires deploying and maintaining Skype for Requires contract with 3rd party carrier* Yes Requires deploying and maintaining Skype for Requires deploying and maintaining Skype for
No No Yes Yes
Business Server or Cloud Connector Edition Business Server or Cloud Connector Edition Business Server or Cloud Connector Edition Business Server
No
*List of countries where Calling Plans available aka.ms/ Requires deploying and maintaining Skype for
*Unless deployed as an option to provide connection
Business Server or Cloud Connector Edition

Which solution is right for you?

callingplans to 3rd party PBX, analog devices, or other telephony
equipment for users who are on Phone System with
Calling Plans.
All-in-the-cloud, connect your own carrier, or a mix between all-in-
the-cloud and third-party carriers? Works for Works for Works for Works for Works for
Microsoft Teams users Microsoft Teams users Microsoft Teams users Skype for Business Online users Skype for Business on-premises users
The solution you choose depends on your current and future needs, such Skype for Business Online users
as: Is this the right solution
• Whether you want—or are required—to retain functionality provided by for you? Is this the right solution for you?
Is this the right solution for you? Is this the right solution for you? Is this the right solution for you?
your on-premises deployment. Yes, if the following are
true: Yes, if the following are true: Yes, if the following are true:
• Which client do you want to deploy for your users. Yes, if the following are true: Yes, if the following are true: • You want to use Teams with Phone
• You want to use Skype for Business Online for your All your users need to stay on-premises.
• What your plan is for moving people to the cloud. Calling Plan is available in your region. You want to use Teams with Phone System. System. •
• • users.
You need to retain your current PSTN • You need to retain your current PSTN carrier.
rd
• Your need to interoperate with 3 party PBXs and other telephony • You do not need to retain your current PSTN • You need to retain your current PSTN carrier. •
• PSTN Calling Plan is not available in your region.
carrier. carrier.
equipment. • You want to mix routing, some calls are going • You need to retain your current PSTN carrier.
• You want to use Microsoft-managed access to the via Calling Plans, some via your carrier. • You want to mix routing, some calls are
• Availability of Calling Plans in your country. going via Calling Plans, some via Recommendation: When business conditions change-- Recommendation: When business conditions change--
Public Switched Telephone Network( PSTN). rd
You need to interoperate with 3 party PBXs
• your carrier. for example, you no longer need to retain your PSTN for example, you no longer need to retain your PSTN
• You do not want to manage Session Border and/or equipment such us overhead pagers, carrier--consider moving to Microsoft Teams using options carrier--consider moving to Microsoft Teams using
For more information about Microsoft Telephony solutions, see the Controllers on your own. analog devices. • You need to interoperate with 3rd party options 1 or 2 to:
accompanying article: Plan your Microsoft Telephony solution. PBXs and/or equipment such us 1 or 2 to:
• Teams and/or Skype for Business Online has all the • Teams has all the features that your organization overhead pagers, analog devices. - Minimize maintenance costs - Minimize maintenance costs
features that your organization requires. requires.
• Teams has all the features that your - Have access to the latest features released by Microsoft - Have access to the latest features released by
organization requires. Microsoft

Notes:
• All four options can co-exist with each other in case you need to design a solution for complex environment or managing multi-step migration.
• Option 3 can only be deployed with either Skype for Business Server OR Cloud Connector Edition. Co-existence of Skype for Business Server and Cloud Connector Edition is not supported in a single © 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
company.