Microsoft Teams Direct Routing is the method of connecting your organization's own telephony provider to Microsoft Teams Phone, enabling employees to make and receive calls to any phone number worldwide — directly from within Teams. Unlike Microsoft's own Calling Plans, Direct Routing lets businesses bring their existing carrier relationships, SIP trunks, and voice infrastructure to the Teams environment.
The numbers in 2026 tell a compelling story. Microsoft Teams Phone now serves 26 million PSTN users globally — a 30% increase in just 20 months — and 71.4% of those users have chosen Direct Routing as their preferred method. The platform has matured from a UCaaS add-on into a credible enterprise-grade cloud PBX, capable of supporting complex, multi-site environments across dozens of countries.
For IT managers and CIOs in Latin America, the US, and Europe, this shift represents a rare convergence of cost efficiency, flexibility, and strategic advantage. Instead of maintaining expensive on-premises PBX hardware and paying inflated per-minute rates to a single carrier, organizations can leverage HIT Communications' Microsoft Teams Direct Routing to consolidate voice traffic under a single, cloud-native platform — without sacrificing reliability or global reach.
Direct Routing answers three questions every enterprise telecom buyer has in 2026: How do I reduce telephony costs? How do I scale voice to remote and distributed teams? And how do I future-proof my communications stack?
Most mid-to-large enterprises in 2026 still carry legacy PBX or on-premises IP telephony systems that were installed years — sometimes decades — ago. These systems are expensive to maintain, difficult to scale for hybrid workforces, and increasingly incompatible with the cloud-first architecture that modern IT teams are building.
The operational risks are real: aging hardware reaches end-of-life with no vendor support; proprietary systems lock organizations into single vendors with poor negotiating power; and the per-seat and per-minute costs of traditional calling plans compound as headcount grows. Meanwhile, employees expect to make calls from any device, in any location, with the same quality they get in the office.
Migrating telephony to the cloud sounds straightforward in theory, but in practice it requires careful planning. Moving too fast risks disrupting call center operations, toll-free numbers, fax lines, and internal extension trees built up over years. Moving too slowly leaves organizations paying for two parallel systems.
This is precisely where managed VoIP and SIP trunking from a specialist provider adds value. Rather than ripping and replacing overnight, a phased Direct Routing migration allows enterprises to retire legacy PBX systems site by site, department by department — preserving business continuity while progressively cutting costs and complexity.
For organizations running call centers or multi-extension environments, a structured migration also protects the cloud PBX and call center configurations that are critical to daily operations.
Understanding the technical architecture of Direct Routing helps IT decision-makers evaluate providers and set realistic expectations for deployment timelines.
Step 1 — Session Border Controller (SBC). The SBC is the hardware or virtual appliance that sits between your telephony carrier and Microsoft's Teams Phone infrastructure. It handles protocol translation, call routing, security, and media processing. In a managed model, the provider owns and operates the SBC on your behalf, eliminating capital expenditure and in-house expertise requirements.
Step 2 — SIP Trunking to Your Carrier. The SBC connects to your carrier via SIP trunks — standardized signaling channels that carry voice traffic over IP networks. This is where you bring your own numbers, rates, and coverage agreements rather than being locked into Microsoft's Calling Plans.
Step 3 — TLS/SRTP Encryption. All signaling between the SBC and Microsoft's infrastructure runs over TLS (Transport Layer Security), while media streams are encrypted with SRTP. In early 2026, Microsoft updated its root Certificate Authorities for Direct Routing SIP signaling — a change that required SBC recertification across the ecosystem. Working with a certified managed provider ensures these compliance updates are handled without service interruption.
Step 4 — Teams Phone Policy Configuration. Microsoft 365 administrators configure voice routing policies in the Teams Admin Center, directing outbound calls through the appropriate SBC based on user location, number format, and carrier priority.
Step 5 — Number Porting and Testing. Existing DID numbers are ported to the new carrier configuration. A controlled cutover, with rollback options, completes the migration.
The result is a fully cloud-managed telephony system where employees dial from Teams on any device, and calls flow through enterprise-grade SIP infrastructure.
The business case for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing in 2026 is well established, with measurable outcomes across cost, flexibility, and operational simplicity.
Cost Efficiency. Direct Routing typically reaches a financial break-even point within 18 to 24 months compared to Microsoft Calling Plans — and the savings compound over time. Enterprises with significant international call volumes, particularly across Latin America, can negotiate carrier rates directly and consolidate multi-country voice spend under a single contract.
Global Coverage and Redundancy. A managed Direct Routing provider with multi-operator relationships can offer PSTN access in countries where Microsoft Calling Plans are not available — a critical advantage for enterprises operating in Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and other markets where HIT Communications maintains carrier infrastructure.
Scalability for Hybrid and Remote Work. As workforces shift to hybrid models, Direct Routing scales instantly. Adding a new user or a new office location is a software configuration change, not a hardware procurement cycle. Employees on laptops, mobile phones, or desk phones all present the same corporate number and call routing behavior.
Simplified IT Operations. When telephony and collaboration live in the same platform, IT teams manage one environment instead of two. Integration with Microsoft 365 — including calendaring, presence, and Teams Rooms — creates a unified communication experience that reduces support overhead.
Enterprise Security and Compliance. Calls routed through certified SBCs with TLS/SRTP encryption meet the security requirements of most enterprise compliance frameworks. Combined with IT managed services and cloud infrastructure, organizations can build a fully auditable communications stack.
HIT Communications has spent more than 30 years building the carrier relationships, technical certifications, and regional presence that enterprise Direct Routing deployments require. Operating across Latin America, the United States, and Europe, HIT is uniquely positioned to deliver Microsoft Teams Direct Routing as a fully managed service — handling SBC infrastructure, carrier interconnection, number porting, and ongoing operations on behalf of enterprise customers.
What distinguishes HIT's approach is the combination of regional expertise and managed-service depth. Unlike global hyperscalers that offer standardized packages, HIT tailors voice routing policies, carrier agreements, and SLA commitments to the specific geographic footprint and regulatory environment of each customer.
For organizations in Colombia, Mexico, Panama, or across the Americas that need PSTN access in markets not served by Microsoft's own Calling Plans, HIT's multi-operator connectivity fabric fills the gap — ensuring that every employee, in every location, can make and receive calls through a single, unified Teams interface.
HIT's managed Direct Routing service includes: certified SBC provisioning and monitoring, 24/7 NOC support, number porting project management, Teams Admin Center configuration, and proactive compliance updates — such as the 2026 TLS certificate migration — handled without customer intervention.
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing is no longer an emerging option — it is the enterprise telephony standard of 2026. With 26 million PSTN users and 71.4% adoption among Teams Phone deployments, the question for most organizations is no longer whether to migrate, but how to do it without disrupting operations.
The answer lies in working with a managed provider that combines certified SBC infrastructure, multi-operator carrier reach, and deep regional expertise. A well-executed Direct Routing deployment consolidates your telephony costs, eliminates legacy PBX maintenance, and delivers a voice experience that is fully integrated with the collaboration tools your teams already use every day.
If your organization is evaluating Microsoft Teams Direct Routing — whether as a first-time cloud telephony deployment or a migration from an existing provider — contact HIT Communications today. Our specialists will assess your current environment, model the financial impact, and design a migration path that meets your timeline and budget.

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