If video was the real winner in 2020 and 2021, 2022 is the year that voice has made a comeback.
As workforces return to their offices, companies are tasked with integrating their old technology, specifically telephony, with the new, cloud-based collaboration platforms they adopted to enable remote working.
For many organisations, this means plugging their existing voice service into Microsoft Teams – which has rocketed to 270 million active users in just a few years.
Microsoft offers three routes for integrating PSTN calling into Teams: Calling Plans are its own option, while Direct Routing and Operator Connect are different ways for businesses to bring their own carrier.
Larger, established businesses are more likely to adopt one of the latter two options, given their scale and existing service provider relationships.
Why is PSTN Still Important?
Despite the boom in video collaboration and P2P calling, PSTN is still vital for many businesses worldwide, according to Jean-François Piot, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Martello Technologies.
“PSTN is still really important for generating revenue for companies,” he said.
“It might be that VIPs need to call other VIPs, or they have a contact centre that is calling customers trying to upgrade their subscription and increase revenue.
“So, it’s crucial that PSTN calling works because it directly affects the productivity of your organisation.”
Why Delivering PSTN in Teams is Difficult
PSTN calling is essential for many businesses, but that’s not to say it’s simple to implement and, more importantly, maintain.
PSTN calling on Teams requires several areas of technology to work in harmony – more than is needed to make the core Teams platform function. These include Microsoft’s network, a business’ LAN, their internet connection, an SBC, SIP trunks, and the operator’s network.
The reliance on so much technology delivered from so many providers makes it incredibly difficult for an organisation’s IT team to pinpoint where the problem is coming from in the event of an outage.
