Assign a phone number for user using Direct Routing

Direct Routing Number Assignment in Microsoft Teams

The Direct Routing option not appearing in the Teams admin center dropdown is expected behavior and does not indicate a configuration issue.

The Teams admin center only displays number types available within your Microsoft managed phone number inventory. Direct Routing numbers are managed outside Microsoft, so they do not appear in this dropdown regardless of the licenses assigned to the user.

Direct Routing numbers should therefore be assigned through PowerShell.

1. Assign the Direct Routing Number

Use the following command:

The phone number must use E.164 format, including the plus sign and country code.

After assigning the number, allow a few minutes for the change to propagate, then refresh the Teams admin center. The number should appear against the user once synchronization is complete.

1. Regarding the Alternative PowerShell Method

Some older guidance recommends using:

Set-CsUser -LineUri

This method is outdated for Teams phone number assignment.

Microsoft now recommends using:

Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment

The parameter:

-PhoneSystemRoutingPolicyName

is also not a valid parameter for Set-CsUser in the current Teams PowerShell module and should not be used for this configuration.

1. Licensing Requirements

A Microsoft Calling Plan license is not required when using Direct Routing.

The user requires:

1. Microsoft Teams Phone, previously known as Phone System
2. An Online Voice Routing Policy containing the appropriate PSTN usages and routes for the Direct Routing trunk

A Calling Plan license is only required when using Microsoft provided phone numbers.

If the environment uses Direct Routing exclusively, the Calling Plan license can be removed. Keeping it assigned will not prevent Direct Routing from working, but it may influence what options are displayed within the Teams admin center.

1. Additional Checks

Before assigning the number, confirm that Enterprise Voice is enabled for the user:

Get-CsOnlineUser -Identity email address removed for privacy reasons | Select EnterpriseVoiceEnabled

Also confirm that the user's Online Voice Routing Policy contains the correct PSTN usages and routes associated with the Direct Routing trunk.

The phone number may still assign successfully if these settings are missing, but inbound or outbound calling may not route correctly until the voice routing configuration is complete.