Comparison ยท reference
Teams calling in Australia: Calling Plans, Operator Connect and Direct Routing
A Teams Phone licence lets a Teams user make and receive calls, but only once the tenant is connected to the public phone network. Microsoft supports three ways to make that connection for a business calling environment: Microsoft Calling Plans, where Microsoft is the operator; Operator Connect, where a Microsoft-certified operator provides the connection and numbers while you manage them in Teams; and Direct Routing, where any operator is connected through a Session Border Controller that you, an integrator or a provider runs. There is no universally best method. The questions below decide it, and a tenant can use more than one.
What Vantrel supplies for Teams calling, and how it is set up
- What this covers
- The three methods that support both user numbers and numbers for auto attendants and call queues; Australian numbers, including 1300 and 1800; emergency calling; who supports what; what happens in an outage.
- What it does not
- Prices (none are quoted); Teams Phone Mobile beyond the note in the questions; any provider's own terms.
Three ways to reach the phone network
The three methods
- Microsoft Calling PlansMicrosoft is the operator
Calling Plans are Microsoft licences matched to calling behaviour; phone-network access, phone numbers and support for the telephone service come from Microsoft. Requires a Microsoft Calling Plan licence.
Microsoft Learn, PSTN connectivity options, 31 July 2026. - Operator ConnectA Microsoft-certified operator provides the connection
A third-party operator certified by Microsoft, which has completed the integration with Microsoft, provides the connection. You subscribe with the operator, enable it in the Teams admin centre and assign its numbers to users. Phone-network access, numbers, support and service levels come from the operator. Requires a contract with that operator.
Same source. - Direct RoutingAny operator, through a Session Border Controller
Any phone-network operator can be used. The operator is connected to the tenant through a certified Session Border Controller that is procured, installed and managed by you, your integrator, or a Direct-Routing-as-a-Service provider. Phone-network access, numbers and support come from a combination of the operator and you. Requires a provider contract and a Session Border Controller solution.
Same source.
Comparison
Row by row
| Dimension | Microsoft Calling Plans | Operator Connect | Direct Routing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who provides the connection | Microsoft | A Microsoft-certified operator | Any operator, through your Session Border Controller |
| Who you contract with for calling | Microsoft (a licence) | The operator | The operator, plus whoever runs the Session Border Controller |
| Number types supported | User numbers and voice-application numbers (auto attendants, call queues) | User numbers and voice-application numbers | User numbers and voice-application numbers |
| Numbers and porting | Numbers come from Microsoft; porting handled with Microsoft | Numbers come from the operator; porting handled with the operator | Numbers stay with your operator; porting handled with that operator |
| 1300 and 1800 numbers | Not specified in Microsoft's public documentation; ask Microsoft or your provider | Depends on the operator; Vantrel brings 1300 and 1800 numbers into Teams | Depends on the operator behind the Session Border Controller |
| Emergency calling (000) | Each user needs a validated emergency address in Teams; the carrier handles much of the routing configuration | Each user needs a validated emergency address; the operator handles much of the routing configuration | Each user needs a validated emergency address; emergency call routing policies must be configured by whoever runs the connection |
| What the 000 operator sees | From a VoIP service the operator asks for the town and state; if the caller cannot speak, police use the address recorded for the service (ACMA). Applies to all three methods. | ||
| Cost model | Per-user Microsoft licence with a calling allowance | The operator's service and call charges, per its contract | The operator's charges plus the cost of the Session Border Controller or the service that runs it |
| Who supports a calling fault | Microsoft | The operator (support and service levels come from the operator) | Split between the operator and whoever runs the Session Border Controller |
| Outage behaviour | In each method, devices at a site lose calling when that site's internet fails while the tenant and call flows keep running; what the caller hears depends on the call-flow design. Direct Routing adds the Session Border Controller as a component that can fail on its own. | ||
| Management model (Microsoft's description) | Microsoft-managed | Shared between the operator and Teams administration | Customer-managed Session Border Controller |
| Microsoft describes it as suited to | Organisations wanting a fully Microsoft-managed solution with the simplest deployment | Organisations wanting a participating operator while managing users and numbers in Teams | Organisations needing advanced telephony integration, existing infrastructure support or maximum flexibility |
Deciding
The questions that decide it
- Do you need to keep an existing operator or existing telephony equipment? If yes, Direct Routing is the method to understand first.
- Do you want the numbers and support to come from an Australian operator while administration stays in Teams? That is Operator Connect's shape.
- Do you want the fewest parties, with Microsoft as the operator, and do its allowances fit how you call? That is Calling Plans' shape.
- Which number types do you hold, including 1300 and 1800, and can the method's operator bring them in?
- Who do you want to call when a call fails: Microsoft, an operator, or the party running a Session Border Controller?
- How many sites and home workers need an emergency address, and who will keep those addresses current?
Where Vantrel sits
Vantrel delivers all three methods and chooses with the business in a review; the table above is neutral on purpose. What Vantrel supplies for Teams calling.
Questions people ask
Can a tenant use more than one method?
Yes. Microsoft documents that several connectivity options can be used within the same tenant for different users, locations and requirements, and that the same option can be used with more than one operator.
What about Teams Phone Mobile?
Microsoft lists a fourth option, Teams Phone Mobile, in which a certified mobile operator assigns the user's mobile number as their Teams number. It supports user numbers only, not numbers for auto attendants or call queues. This guide compares the three methods that support both, which is what a business calling environment usually needs.
Which method is cheapest?
Microsoft's documentation does not price the options against each other, and the answer depends on calling volume, number types, what the business already licenses and who supports it. Compare the cost models in the table, then price your own numbers against each.
Provenance
Method and sources
The three methods and their properties are taken from Microsoft's documentation of PSTN connectivity options for Teams Phone (Microsoft Learn, last updated 31 July 2026) and of emergency calling in Teams (Microsoft Learn, last updated 23 March 2026), both read on 18 October 2026. The emergency-call facts for VoIP services are from the Australian Communications and Media Authority's "Emergency calls" page, read on the same date. Where Microsoft's public documentation does not settle a cell, the table says so rather than inferring. Nothing here is priced. Vantrel's own capability (delivering the three methods; bringing 1300 and 1800 numbers into Teams) is stated from Vantrel's records, not from Microsoft's. To report an error, use the contact page.
- Microsoft Learn: PSTN connectivity options, learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/pstn-connectivity (31 July 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Plan and manage emergency calling, learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/what-are-emergency-locations-addresses-and-call-routing (23 March 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Planning, overview of voice applications (auto attendants and call queues), learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/aa-cq-plan-overview (31 August 2026)
- ACMA: Emergency calls, acma.gov.au/emergency-calls (read 18 October 2026)