Verizon Lends SIP Trunking for Microsoft Teams Integration

Verizon Enterprise Solutions just launched a new service to let its customers integrate with a Microsoft unified communications platform.

The collaboration service combines direct routing and SIP trunk connectivity, and helps Verizon’s network customers embed their voice infrastructures in the Microsoft Teams platform. Verizon’s Session Border Control as a Service (SBCaaS) powers the new service.

Alex Doyle, Verizon’s director of unified communications and collaboration, told Channel Partners that the partnership serves a two-fold purpose for partners.

Verizon’s Alex Doyle

“SIP trunking has historically been a successful product for the Verizon Partner Program, and this opens new opportunities for our members to serve their customers by offering voice-enablement and business transformation for users of Microsoft Teams,” Doyle said. “For Verizon, it’s also an opportunity to bring in new partners who are well-versed in the Microsoft ecosystem.”

Microsoft Teams allows users to call to and from a variety of phone types, including traditional, VoIP and mobile. Other platform features are workplace chat, video meetings and file storage.

“Enterprises are always looking for tools and solutions for better productivity and collaboration,” said Shawn Hakl, SVP of business products for Verizon. “By integrating Verizon’s SIP trunking into Microsoft Teams, users get the best of both worlds. They are able to have reliable communication services from Verizon, seamlessly integrated into their Microsoft Teams collaboration software.”

The two also announced that Microsoft Azure will power a Verizon Digital Media Services offering that one executive called “the ultimate streaming solution.”

Verizon restructured last year, and in doing so shared its former wireless unit with consumer and business segments. Verizon introduced the realignment and some its recently expanded partnerships to monetize the rapidly materializing 5G opportunity.

We wrote a month ago about Verizon’s latest Mobile Security Index, which exposed persisting problems with wireless data protection.