SIP Gateway: Microsoft Teams on Legacy PBX Phones

In today's quickly evolving global economy, Unified Communications solutions empower business strategies to break through boundaries that were once roadblocks. Decision-makers are taking a close look at which solutions boost productivity, collaboration, ease-of-use and cost-effectiveness. Through robust workforce collaboration tools, organizations can enact ROI-boosting productivity initiatives, monitor network usage, collaborate on shared applications and so much more.

Currently at a massive 250 million monthly active users, Microsoft Teams is the communication solution on the front line of the transition to flexible and remote work. Microsoft Teams has emerged as more than just a collaboration tool – it’s a service which enables UCaaS functionality, CRM integration, CCaaS, and even productivity tools. However, for Microsoft users to leverage the full benefits of Teams, they need to access the right telephony and voice strategy.

SIP Gateway

While Microsoft Teams phone devices provide the richest and most complete Teams experience, there are many customers with existing investments in legacy devices. To help customers leverage their existing telephony hardware as they move to Teams Phone, Microsoft has announced that SIP Gateway, a solution that enables core Teams calling functionality on compatible SIP phone models from Cisco, Poly, Yealink and AudioCodes is now generally available.

Currently, SIP Gateway supports the following core Teams calling functionality:

• Inbound and outbound calls
• Call transfer
• Meeting dial-in and dial-out
• Device-based “do not disturb”
• Voicemail with message waiting indicator

There is no additional cost for organizations to use SIP Gateway, and any users meeting the following requirements can use SIP Gateway:

• Users must be licensed for Teams Phone (via any Office 365 E5, Microsoft 365 license that includes Teams Phone, or as a standalone license)
• PSTN enablement (i.e., phone number assigned) via a Microsoft Teams Calling Plan, Direct Routing, or Operator Connect
• Common area devices require a Common Area Phone license

For more information on the latest on Microsoft Teams and the features that can have the most significant impact within your business or organization, contact CallTower for a free consultation by clicking below: