Great question. Before I provide an answer - let’s first start off with a brief overview and basic terminology. If you have ever requested a new PSTN Number in Skype for Business Online, you may have noticed that you can request 2 types of numbers, detailed below.
Basic Terminology
Service numbers look the same as user numbers, but the architecture behind them is different to support a high number of concurrent calls.
For more information about, refer to the Services Numbers vs User Numbers blog article.
With this terminology in mind, let’s describe a scenario where you can run into an issue.
Scenario
Let’s say you ported a telephone number into Skype for Business Online. It is a really cool number that is easy to remember e.g. xxx-500-1111. Now you attempt to assign that number to an Auto Attendant or a dial-in conferencing bridge. But wait, the Admin portal won’t let you. What? What’s going on? We don’t allow a ‘user’ number to be assigned to a ‘service’. We only allow ‘service’ numbers to be assigned to a service – for example an Auto Attendant.
Ok – what’s next? If it is a US based number, you can assign that telephone number to a service. Although, an extra step is required.
Solution
To use that telephone number for a service, we must first reclassify the ‘user’ number as a ‘service’ number. To start the conversion process, you simply need to create a service request. Again, the ability to reclassify a user number to a service number is currently only available in the US market only.
How do I get the number converted to a service number?
How long does it take to do the conversion?
We don’t provide an SLA for converting the number, but it will mostly likely take a few days to complete the request. It is important to note, that during the conversion process, the number will be unavailable for a period of time, and you cannot see the number in the tenant. This is expected.
What if my number is outside of the US region?
You can assign a new service number that is provided by Microsoft.
Is there anything I can do to avoid this conversion process?
Yes. When a number is initially ported into Skype for Business Online, you can specify that the number is ported in as a ‘service’ number. The port request must happen separately from other types of numbers.
This topic is also discussed in our Cloud PBX with PSTN calling training: http://aka.ms/sa-pstn.
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