External business calling
Make and receive calls to ordinary fixed and mobile telephone numbers from supported Teams clients.
IT Communications
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing
Use Microsoft Teams for external business calling with Direct Routing, UK telephone numbers, number porting and support from IT Communications.
Teams business calling
Use Microsoft Teams as a business phone system.
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing connects authorised Teams users to the public telephone network through a voice provider. It brings external business calling into the Teams applications people already use for chat, meetings and collaboration.
I.T Communications provides the voice connectivity, UK telephone numbers, number-porting coordination and technical support needed to connect a suitable Microsoft Teams environment to external calling.
Teams Direct Routing and business SIP trunks are separate services. SIP trunks connect compatible PBXs; Direct Routing is specifically for Microsoft Teams telephony.
Reliable Teams calling also depends on suitable connectivity. Compare managed business broadband and dedicated fibre leased lines according to site availability and resilience requirements. If Teams is not the required user platform, Hosted 3CX is a separate managed phone-system option.
Microsoft Teams telephony
Calling, numbers and collaboration in one familiar application.
A Teams phone system can suit organisations that want users to handle business calls alongside their existing Microsoft 365 workflows.
UK telephone numbers
Choose suitable new numbers or discuss transferring numbers your customers already know.
Call routing
Plan users, number assignments and business call flows around the way your organisation handles calls.
One support relationship
Coordinate Teams voice connectivity, numbers and migration with an experienced UK communications team.
How Direct Routing works
Connect Teams users to external telephone calling.
Teams provides the user experience. I.T Communications provides the voice connection.
Calls pass between your suitably licensed Microsoft Teams environment, the I.T Communications UK voice platform and the public telephone network.
Explore the network behind our services →01Your usersDesktop, mobile and supported devices
→02Microsoft TeamsCalling and collaboration
→03ITC voice networkUK voice connectivity
→04Your callersFixed and mobile networks
Plan the complete service
More than switching on a calling feature.
A dependable Teams telephony deployment needs clear ownership of licensing, voice connectivity, numbers, call routing, migration and ongoing support.
Review the environment
Confirm Microsoft licensing, users, existing numbers, current call flows and connectivity.
Design Teams calling
Agree number assignments, inbound routing and the responsibilities of each service.
Test before migration
Validate configuration and calling before an agreed, controlled cutover.
Support after go-live
Keep a clear route to assistance for the voice services supplied by I.T Communications.
Numbers and migration
Keep business calling familiar to customers.
Moving users to Teams does not necessarily mean changing the telephone numbers people use to reach your organisation.
- 01
Discover
Document users, sites, numbers, devices and existing call handling.
- 02
Check
Confirm licensing, number portability and technical prerequisites.
- 03
Configure
Build and test user calling, number presentation and inbound routing.
- 04
Migrate
Coordinate number porting and an agreed cutover without promising that every number can be transferred.
Explore UK business telephone numbers → Learn how business number porting works →
Common questions
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, explained.
What is Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?
Direct Routing connects Microsoft Teams to the public telephone network through a voice provider, allowing authorised Teams users to make and receive external business calls.
Can we keep our existing business telephone numbers?
In many cases, yes. We check number portability and coordinate the transfer rather than assuming every number can be moved.
Is a Microsoft licence included?
Microsoft licensing requirements depend on your existing Microsoft 365 arrangement and chosen calling setup. We confirm the required licensing and voice-service responsibilities before order.
How is a Teams telephony migration planned?
We review users, numbers, call routing, licensing and connectivity, then agree configuration, testing and a controlled cutover plan.
Are SIP Trunks and Teams Direct Routing the same service?
No. SIP Trunks are a standalone service for compatible PBXs. Teams Direct Routing is a separate solution for connecting Microsoft Teams users to external telephone calling.
Plan Teams calling
Discuss your Microsoft Teams telephony requirements.
Tell us about your users, current telephone numbers, Microsoft environment and the way calls need to be handled.