Gamma named partner for Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams programme

Gamma Communications plc (“Gamma”), a leading technology-based provider of communication services, is pleased to announce it has joined the Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams programme.

Operator Connect is a new operator-managed programme from Microsoft designed to enable seamless and integrated PSTN calling to Teams.With the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating Unified Communications (UC) technology adoption, Teams has seen steady growth and now has nearly 250 million monthly active users.

Building on over 15 years’ experience in delivering voice solutions for Microsoft, Gamma’s inclusion as one of a select number of providers in the Operator Connect programme will streamline calling capabilities for Teams users by bridging the gap between their Teams environment and Gamma as their operator.

Customers will simply need to select Gamma as their operator and assign phone numbers to users through the Teams admin center, reducing deployment and management complexity.

Customers choosing Gamma as their preferred operator will also benefit from an augmented service with native fraud management capability to protect against toll fraud and enhanced Teams Phone capabilities through Gamma’s SIP Trunk Call Manager.

In the event of a service failure or outage on any part of the service, customers will be able to simply manage calls on the Gamma cloud using SIP Trunk Call Manager, ensuring cloud-based resilience and high availability.

The relationship will also provide customers with increased support and reliability through the Operator Excellence structure.

The addition of Operator Connect further enhances Gamma’s existing Teams telephony offering for customers and its channel partners, with the company already enabling 250 thousand Teams seats across the Group via its Microsoft Teams Direct Routing and managed service offering, Cloud UCX™.

Chris Wade, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Gamma, said: “We’re proud to be part of the Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams programme and to continue to work closely with Microsoft to deliver enhanced calling capabilities within Teams.

“Gamma already has a long and rich heritage in delivering IP Voice services in the UK. We were the first Carrier to truly embrace IP and have built a position as the UK’s No.1 SIP provider, with over a third of businesses trusting Gamma to carry their voice traffic. Over the past decade, we’ve been supporting Microsoft services through various previous iterations, including Lync and Skype for Business. Teams is one of the most successful incarnations of UC that Microsoft has given us.

“By combining our expertise and reliability with Microsoft’s operator-managed service, our customers will benefit from a reliable and secure service to easily maximise value from their Microsoft Teams environment.”

Taimoor Husain, Modern Workplace Strategy and GTM lead, Telcos at Microsoft, said: “We’re pleased to welcome Gamma to the Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams programme. Gamma’s inclusion amongst a select number of operators is a testament to the company’s extensive experience as one of the UK’s leading SIP providers and their expertise in delivering voice solutions for Teams. We’re pleased to continue working with them to create an integrated calling experience for all Teams users.”