Direct Routing as a Service (DRaaS) lets a service provider sell Microsoft Teams calling on its own SIP trunks and numbers, under its own brand, without buying and running session border controllers (SBCs) or configuring every customer tenant by hand. TeamMate's SIP Trunk Connector automates Direct Routing with SBCs included, and PBX Connector puts your PBX on the Teams dial pad.
New to the basics? Start with What is Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?. For every integration path side by side, see UCaaS Microsoft Teams integration: every path compared.
What is Direct Routing for service providers?
Direct Routing is Microsoft's way to connect SIP trunks or a PBX to Microsoft Teams Phone through a Microsoft-certified SBC. For a provider, it means your numbers, your network and your billing relationship, with Teams as the phone your customers already use. Direct Routing isn't a Microsoft program you have to join.
The catch is the work. DIY Direct Routing means buying, deploying and maintaining certified SBCs, and setting up Direct Routing, voice routing, policies and users in every customer's Microsoft 365 tenant, often through PowerShell. DRaaS moves that work onto a platform.
What DIY Direct Routing takes
- SBCs to buy and run. They must be Microsoft-certified for Teams, then deployed, monitored and kept current.
- Per-tenant configuration. Every customer needs Direct Routing, voice routes, policies and user setup.
- Ongoing changes. Moves, adds and changes, number assignments and Microsoft updates land on your team.
Two ways to offer Direct Routing with TeamMate
SIP Trunk Connector: Direct Routing as a Service
SIP Trunk Connector automates Direct Routing between your SIP trunks and Teams, including user provisioning. SBCs are included, running in 9 Microsoft Azure regions, and your customers' numbers stay on your network. Each Teams user needs a Teams Phone license.
PBX Connector: your PBX in Teams
PBX Connector turns the native Teams dial pad into a softphone on your UCaaS or hosted PBX, with a Teams app that carries your brand. Each Teams user registers as an extension, numbers stay on your platform and call flows run on your PBX. Each user needs a Teams Phone license; the ACS Call App add-on removes that requirement.
DIY Direct Routing vs TeamMate
| DIY Direct Routing | TeamMate SIP Trunk Connector | TeamMate PBX Connector | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBCs | You buy and run certified SBCs | Included, 9 Azure regions | Included, 9 Azure regions |
| Tenant setup | Manual, per tenant | Automated | Automated |
| Where numbers live | Your network | Your network | Your PBX platform |
| Call flows | Teams Phone | Teams Phone | Your PBX |
| Teams Phone license per user | Yes | Yes | Yes, or none with the ACS Call App add-on |
| Your brand | Up to you | White-label portal | White-label portal and branded Teams app |
| Microsoft program to join | None | None | None |
White-label Direct Routing, under your name
Partners manage every customer in a portal branded as their own, with a REST API for provisioning and multi-level admin if your channel needs it. Pricing is wholesale, per user, per month, and you set your retail prices. More on white-label Microsoft Teams integration.
You can mix services per tenant: SIP Trunk Connector, Operator Connect Express and PBX Connector users can sit in the same Teams tenant. Then add Call Manager, AI Voice Agents, Teams Call Recording, SMS Connector and ChatBridge, all part of TeamMate's 9 products.
How to choose a DRaaS provider
- Your brand. Can you sell it as your own service, with your portal and pricing?
- Your numbers and network. Do customers' numbers stay on your trunks or PBX?
- Automation. Is tenant setup and user provisioning automated, with an API?
- Beyond SIP trunks. Can you also offer PBX calling, Operator Connect-style provisioning and messaging from the same platform?
- Security. TeamMate is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and uses minimal Microsoft permissions.
Weighing Direct Routing against Microsoft's operator program? Read Operator Connect vs Direct Routing for service providers.
Frequently asked questions
What is Direct Routing as a Service?
It's Microsoft Teams Direct Routing delivered by a platform, so a service provider doesn't have to buy and run its own SBCs or configure each customer tenant by hand. TeamMate SIP Trunk Connector automates Direct Routing and user provisioning, with SBCs included in 9 Microsoft Azure regions.
Do I need my own Microsoft-certified SBC?
No. Direct Routing requires a Microsoft-certified SBC, and TeamMate includes the SBCs, so you don't buy or run them.
Can I offer Direct Routing under my own brand?
Yes. TeamMate is white-label: you manage customers in a portal branded as your own and set your own retail prices.
Do customers keep their numbers?
Yes. With SIP Trunk Connector the numbers stay on your network. With PBX Connector, numbers stay on your platform and call flows run on your PBX.
Do users need a Teams Phone license?
Yes, with SIP Trunk Connector and PBX Connector each user needs a Teams Phone license. The ACS Call App add-on to PBX Connector lets users call in Teams without one.
How is this different from Operator Connect?
Operator Connect is Microsoft's program for certified operators; Direct Routing needs no program to join. See the provider-side comparison.
