Tango Networks has launched eSIMS for Teams Phone to empower frontline workers.
The solution, Tango Extend, transforms mobile phones into an extension of a Teams-enabled fixed-line phone number from certified operators. The service leverages Teams’ SIP Gateway technology to mobilise fixed-line phone numbers. This allows employees working remotely or on the go to make and receive Teams calls via the native dialer on their mobile phones.
Andrew Bale, President of Tango Networks, said:
Today’s work-from-anywhere world demands simple and easy-to-operate communications to boost productivity. Tango Extend brings business communications to any worker in any location. With Tango Extend, business customers can get more from their investment in Teams.”
Tango Extend intends to seamlessly connect frontline and deskless workers across myriad industries, including retail, manufacturing, delivery, transportation and in-home services — a workforce traditionally without access to the full suite of features of UC platforms. Tango Extend enables these workers to access corporate communications to build more effective collaboration.
“Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams Phone are powering collaboration and enterprise-grade calling wherever work happens, in the office, at home or on the road,” commented Mahendra Sekaran, Vice President of Microsoft Teams Engineering. “Tango Extend provides another approach to deliver voice services to Teams Phone users by extending fixed lines to mobile devices and enabling a single business number that works across endpoints.”
Tango Extend involves a “dual persona” strategy that turns Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) mobile phones into enterprise-ready extensions of Teams while keeping personal communications distinct. The solution incorporates an e-SIM in a multi-SIM personal mobile which the company controls. This allows work and personal communications to be separated and secured as dual personas.
The Teams-integrated persona leverages the work-controlled SIM and the worker’s Teams identity and phone number for work communications. Furthermore, these work communications can be centrally captured and recorded to comply with records retention laws or for quality assurance of customer support. Employees’ personal communications remain private and distinct, using the employee’s personal identity and phone number.
“Tango Extend unlocks even greater flexibility and a superior user experience when used in combination with the Operator Connect by NTT solution. The solutions together enable the ability to use the same Teams number and telephony provider to make calls through either the native dialer on mobile phones or the Teams application,” added Charlie Doubek, Vice President of Managed Collaboration and Communications at NTT, one of the Operator Connect partners for Microsoft Teams.
“Global business users can easily mobilise their existing Teams numbers and calling plans across multiple mobile networks.”
Using innovative and award-winning fixed-mobile convergence technologies, Tango Extend is covered by more than 100 patents.
Frontline Workers Getting the Communications Solutions They Need in 2023
Tango Extend’s potentially groundbreaking solution for frontline workers signals a welcome trend in developing excellent technology for a workforce that hasn’t traditionally had access to the most significant innovations of the UC and collaboration boom of recent years.
Microsoft, in particular, has focused on producing or collaborating on communications solutions to empower frontline workers via Teams and other platforms.
Last month, Microsoft launched Outlook, Edge, Viva Engage, and Power Apps for its Android-shared device customers.
Shared device mode allows users to authenticate themselves across various applications straightforwardly. They could then sign in and out of applications in one easy action to smoothly exchange and personalise devices. Frontline workers regularly need to share devices, and this offering adds critical capabilities while reducing device recycling times.
In March, Microsoft shared insights into its work on the Teams platform as part of the National Retail Federation (NRF) event for 2023. Microsoft Teams offers retailers a simple way to connect front-of-store employees with customer experts through a comprehensive application ecosystem. Multiple leading businesses, such as L’Oréal, use Teams’ collaboration tools to help their frontline workers.
Microsoft also showcased new features to support healthcare workers at April’s HIMSS23.
Microsoft demonstrated a raft of innovations designed to improve productivity and streamline the workflows of healthcare staff. These features included a Teams Virtual Appointments app, a tailored Teams homepage with centralized access for frontline workers, and enabling shared use of Android devices across frontline teams.
“Frontline workers are irreplaceable, and as clinicians face record levels of burnout and high patient expectations, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams are building solutions to help balance quality patient care with quality self-care—all within one ecosystem,” said Nicole Herskiwitz, VP at Microsoft Teams.
