In my earlier article, I mentioned two Microsoft technologies that have arrived in India – Direct Routing and Operator Connect, and then did a deep dive into Direct Routing. This article is a discussion of the second technology – Operator Connect.

When the 23 June 2021 OSP regulatory relaxations were announced, it did something fundamental: it moved India from a compliance-over-control regime to a trust-but-verify model. It opened the door for cloud-first architectures—including Microsoft Teams with Operator Connect—to serve Indian enterprises, including those in the heavily regulated BPO and ITES space.

But is it as straightforward as it sounds? Can you just plug in Teams and be OSP-compliant?

Let’s explore what Operator Connect is, how it works in India, and what enterprises need to consider when deploying it in OSP environments.

What is Operator Connect for India?

Operator Connect for India is Microsoft’s answer to cloud telephony.

Instead of deploying and managing your own Session Border Controller (SBC), as in Direct Routing, you work with a DoT-licensed telecom operator that’s been certified by Microsoft. The operator:

·       Provides PSTN access.

·       Hosts the SBC in their own network.

·       Integrates directly into Microsoft Teams via Azure Peering.

·       Enables you to assign and manage numbers via the Teams Admin Center.

In India, Microsoft has onboarded Tata Communications, Tata Tele Business Servces, and Airtel. These operators expose their PSTN inventory to Microsoft Teams and allow you to make and receive calls through your Teams app—on desktop, tablet, or mobile.

How it works:

Your enterprise:

1.        Signs a commercial agreement with the Operator Connect for India telco (e.g., Tata).

2.        Gets PSTN numbers assigned to your Teams tenant.

3.        Assigns numbers to users via Teams Admin Center.

4.        Users make/receive PSTN calls directly from the Teams app.

The call flow:

·       Incoming call: PSTN → Operator SBC → Microsoft cloud → Teams client

·       Outgoing call: Teams client → Microsoft cloud → Operator SBC → PSTN

Everything—media, signaling, routing—is handled by the operator and Microsoft.

What’s in it for the Enterprise?

From a user perspective:

·       Unified client: IP calls, PSTN, chat, meetings—all in one place.

·       Work from anywhere: Your number follows you—no hardware needed.

·       Enterprise branding: Caller ID is fully controlled by the organization.

·       Better UX: Unified call logs, voicemails, and experience across devices.

From an IT/admin perspective:

·       No SBC to deploy or manage.

·       Numbers and users provisioned directly from Teams Admin Center.

·       Scalable without physical boundaries.

·       No voice gateways to maintain.

·       Carrier-grade SLAs, with Microsoft as your interface.

Caveats and Limitations

·      No SIMs, just SIP

The numbers are PSTN DIDs—but no SIM cards are issued. All calls go via the Teams app, over broadband or Wi-Fi (much like a WhatsApp call). Users can’t use these numbers from the native phone app.

·      No number portability

Numbers are assigned by the telco, not Microsoft. If you switch carriers, the numbers don’t go with you.

·      Emergency calling is not supported

These Teams-assigned numbers cannot connect to 112 or local emergency services. Enterprises must have alternate arrangements for compliance.

·      Mobile numbers not truly supported

Even though Operator Connect “supports” mobile numbers, India’s telecom laws prohibit mobile number usage over open internet-based VoIP. So operators can only assign wireline or VoIP DIDs, not SIM-based mobile numbers.

OSP Compliance: Is Operator Connect Legal for Indian Call Centers?

Yes—with caveats.

The same three rules apply:

·       Media and signaling must stay within India.

·       CDRs and logs must be auditable and storable in India.

·       No toll bypass.

Since the operator (TCL, TTBS, Airtel) is a licensed Access Service Provider, they are responsible for ensuring that:

·       Their SBC is hosted in-country.

·       PSTN termination stays within the Indian geography.

·       Media never routes internationally.

·       Logs and metadata can be retained and shared for audits.

The enterprise’s main responsibilities are to:

1.        Obtain confirmation from the operator that the above conditions are met.

2.        Ensure Teams call logs/CDRs can be extracted and stored locally.

3.        Avoid toll bypass scenarios, such as using foreign Teams numbers to call Indian PSTN from within India.

If those are met, then yes—Operator Connect is fully usable even in OSP/BPO environments.