Which Is Better: Direct Routing or Operator Connect?

The Comparison at a Glance

Operator Connect exists specifically to solve the awkward middle ground: businesses that want to keep, or freely choose, their own operator, without taking on the hardware and technical management that Direct Routing involves.

When Direct Routing Is the Better Choice

Direct Routing makes sense when a business needs something Operator Connect can't offer, true carrier independence. Because Direct Routing works with almost any SIP trunk provider, not just Microsoft-certified operators, it suits businesses that already have carrier relationships they don't want to change, that operate across countries where no certified operator is available, or that need highly specific call routing, such as complex call queues, integrations with existing on-premises telecom systems, or unusual compliance requirements.



The trade-off is technical overhead. Direct Routing requires an SBC, which either needs to be purchased and maintained on-site or taken as a hosted service from a provider. Someone, whether in-house IT or an outsourced partner, needs to configure and keep that SBC running, apply updates, and troubleshoot it if call quality issues arise. For businesses without existing telecom or network engineering resources, this is real, ongoing work, not a one-off setup task.

When Operator Connect Is the Better Choice

Operator Connect makes sense when a business wants Teams calling to work with minimal technical involvement. Because the certified operator's infrastructure replaces the SBC entirely, there's nothing to install, patch, or maintain on the business's side. Numbers, users, and routing are managed directly inside the Teams Admin Centre, which is also where a business's IT team is already working day to day. For a fuller explanation of how it works, see our guide to what Microsoft Operator Connect is.



The trade-off is choice and control. A business is limited to whichever operators are certified in its country, and Operator Connect doesn't offer the same depth of custom routing logic that a well-configured SBC can. For most small and mid-sized businesses this limitation rarely matters in practice, but for organisations with genuinely complex call flows, it can be a real constraint.

What About Cost?

Neither option has a fixed price set by Microsoft, since both depend on the carrier or operator involved. The more meaningful cost difference is in overhead rather than the calling charges themselves. Direct Routing carries the added cost of SBC hardware or hosting, plus the engineering time to manage it. Operator Connect avoids that cost but narrows carrier choice to whichever certified operators serve your business, so pricing is set by whichever of those operators you choose.

A Practical Way to Decide

In the Teams migrations we handle for customers, most land on Operator Connect, and Direct Routing tends to come up only where a business already runs an SBC or has a carrier contract it cannot move.



If your business already runs an SBC, has a specific carrier relationship you're not willing to change, or needs unusually complex call routing, Direct Routing is generally worth the extra technical overhead. If your priority is getting Teams calling running quickly, without hardware to manage, and a certified operator covers your country, Operator Connect is generally the more practical route. Businesses that want the very simplest setup and don't need to choose their own carrier at all may still be better served by Microsoft Calling Plans instead of either option. For the wider picture of running your phone system in Teams, see our Microsoft Teams phone system page.

Common Questions About Direct Routing and Operator Connect

Can you switch from Direct Routing to Operator Connect later?

Yes. A business isn't locked into one option permanently. Moving from Direct Routing to Operator Connect typically means decommissioning the SBC and onboarding with a certified operator, while numbers can usually be carried across in the process.

Does Operator Connect work with Teams Phone Mobile?

Yes, calling through Operator Connect works across the Teams desktop app, mobile app, and Teams-certified desk phones, since the connection sits behind Teams rather than tied to a specific device.

What happens if your SBC fails with Direct Routing?

Calling is disrupted until the SBC is restored or failed over to a backup, which is why businesses using Direct Routing at scale often run a secondary SBC for redundancy. This is one of the ongoing responsibilities that falls to the business rather than to Microsoft or the carrier.

Can you use more than one carrier or operator at once?

With Direct Routing, yes, an SBC can be configured to route calls across multiple carriers simultaneously. With Operator Connect, a business can also add multiple certified operators, which is sometimes used to cover different countries or to maintain a backup route for resilience.

How much does a Teams Phone Standard licence cost?

Pricing is set by Microsoft and billed per user per month, on top of whatever plan you're already on for Microsoft 365 or Teams. Costs can change, so it's worth checking current Microsoft 365 pricing directly rather than relying on a fixed figure.