Beginners guide to Operator Connect
Operator Connect is a method of enabling external PSTN calling for Teams Phone users.
Operators, also known as carriers, are businesses like Verizon, AT&T, Tata, Pure IP, and other global brands that provide telecommunications and calling services.
Through the Operator Connect program, these operators can now provide—often discounted —calling plans to users of Teams Phone.
It’s important to note early on that to benefit from Operator Connect, or any calling package like Direct Routing or Microsoft Calling Plan, users must first have a Teams Phone license. Without the ability to make and receive external PSTN calls, there is no use for a calling package.
This means you, as a business, can continue your existing call plan contract when moving to Microsoft Teams as a phone system.
The trigger for implementing Operator Connect is often a phone system migration. As Microsoft Teams continues, even now, to gain popularity as the go-to meetings and collaboration platform, it makes sense to consolidate your phone system here too.
Microsoft’s aim for Operator Connect is to provide a meet-in-the-middle option for customers who want to work with their preferred operator, but don’t have the complex requirements where Direct Routing is the best solution.
Before you get started with Operator Connect, there are some prerequisites.
You must have the following:
If your operator is on the Operator Connect program, they have already conducted the relevant onboarding with Microsoft to agree direct peering and establish a service level agreement.
You get a fully managed and integrated experience while benefiting from shared technical support, discounted calling (compared to Microsoft’s retail price), and custom PSTN features.
What’s more, you can provision these calling services, direct from your preferred operator, via the Teams Admin Center (TAC).
That means you get instant access for new numbers and to make moves, adds, and changes.
Assuming you’ve got an agreement with an operator, head to the TAC and choose Voice then Operators.
Under the All Operators tab, filter by region or service then select your operator.
Note: if you don’t have an operator already, contact Pure IP to see if we’re a good match.
In the TAC, select the operator of your choice then the countries you wish to enable.
Next, provide your contact information and accept the data transfer notice.
Select Add your operator then Add as operator to save the change.
That’s it! You’ve added an operator and can now go about setting up new numbers, emergency information, and managing existing phone numbers.
Need a step-by-step guide for adding an operator?
Read our guide: How to use Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams step-by-step
Sounds like Microsoft Calling Plan? Sure. A little. You get the TAC access to make small changes with Calling Plan but you don’t get further customizations enabled by your third-party carrier.
See Pure IP's Number Management Tool for an example of the extra benefits:
Operator Connect costs vary based on a number of factors. There is no charge for Operator Connect itself. But there are three things you need to consider when calculating your cost of Operator Connect:
To get Teams Phone access, you’ll need either Office 365 E3 + Teams Phone Standard or Office 365 E5. These costs are broken down in the table below.
Your move to Operator Connect is a great time to audit and consolidate your Microsoft licenses to see if you’re operating at optimum costs and not overpaying for features and services that don’t get used by some users.
|
License |
Cost |
Description |
|
Office 365 E3 + Teams |
$36 per user per month |
Includes PSTN Audio Conferencing |
|
Office 365 E5 |
$57 per user per month |
Includes Teams Phone standard and PSTN Audio conferencing |
If you have users who are frontline workers, you may choose to opt for the F1 or F3 license.
These are slightly reduced licenses, with Microsoft recognizing that information (desk-based) workers have different requirements to mobile and frontline workers.
Voices services are available for Microsoft Teams Operator Connect in 50 ...