Skype Academy Phone System (Cloud PBX) with PSTN calling Summary

Continuing with the summaries from Skype Academy i wanted to continue with Cloud PBX videos following on from the Cloud Voice Introduction.

There’s are number of Cloud PBX videos so ill release them one by one.

Part 1 – Cloud Voice Introductions Summary here

This is part 2 – Cloud PSTN with PSTN Calling

Please note

Cloud PBX was re-branded as Microsoft Phone System
PSTN Calling was re-branded as Calling Plans.

Lets go

Usual training disclaimer

This is January 2017 recording.

Agenda

Key Learning’s

Microsoft Service for PSTN needs
Microsoft is your one stop shop
Microsoft provides phone numbers and service
New Services and countries are continually being added so its key to keep update
Networking is SUPER important from users to Office 365, its key to ensure a good user experience. Please refer and follow SOF

Scope

Diagram shows all training available for Cloud PBX.

White boxes so training available on Skype Academy, Blue boxes provide structure.

This session is CLOUD PBX with PSTN Calling. Understand and configure Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling.

What is Cloud PBX is out of scope, covered in Cloud PBX Voice introduction here

Dedicated training is available for subject like voicemail and networking.

CLOUD PBX WITH PSTN CALLING BENEFITS

Microsoft provide the service
One bill for all communication
One portal
Seamless user experience
easiest and best way to deliver PSTN connectivity to CLOUD PBX users
Flexibility for phones numbers with new or existing number via porting
Easy to manage, all configuration in one place
Support from one place
No need for servers on premises, No pbx or gateways or SBCS
All provided by SfB Online

When to use CLOUD PBX with PSTN Calling

If its available in your region (Currently USA, Puerto Rico, UK, France and Spain Only)
No need to keep existing Infrastructure
No long term contracts PSTN or PBX
Ideal for new deployments or new offices or end of life PBXs

High Level Overview of Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling

Endpoints deployed on premises and connected to Office 365 and Office 365 is connected to the PSTN network

Signalling and media go from on premises to Office 365

Networking SUPER IMPORTANT

Any jitter, packet loss or delay it will affect user experience

Network from user to Office 365 is generally three networks

On premises network (in office wired or wireless)
From company network (internconnect network to office 365) usually internet service provider
Then Office 365 Network

Customer responsible for on premises network and interconnect network. This mean provide good performance, SOF network readiness planning will help to plan for this and test your network.

PSTN Calling Service Availability

Spain is not listed but is not available, so shows its important to check the most up to date information. Tried the URL listed but didn’t seem to work so i found this

Its defined on the user location not tenant location

It doesn’t matter if your Tenant location is not in a country listed for PSTN Calling service, if you have users located in a supported country they can use Cloud PBX with PSTN calling service.

In the future more countries will be added in preview first. https://www.skypepreview.com/

Last Friday i noticed on Twitter Tom Arbuthnot mentioned that Ireland and the Netherlands are now available for preview so most likely will be coming next to GA soon. Toms post here and can be found on the Skype preview site here

PSTN Calling Plans

The Cloud PBX licence is included with E5 plans and is an add on for E1 and E3. Having Cloud PBX alone does not allow for PSTN calling this is additional.

Users require a PSTN calling plan and there are two available in

Domestic (Calls within country)
Domestic and International (Calls within and outside your country up to 190)

Most countries are included.

PSTN Calling Service Minutes

Minutes are outbound only.
Inbound minutes are free.
Number of minutes for each user per month is dependent on the location and calling plan.
US get 3000 domestic and 600 international calling
UK and France 1200 domestic and 600 international calling

Minutes are pooled for users in the same country with the same plan.

For example two users in France with domestic plans a user may have used all their minutes but another user has only used half their minutes, the first user can use the remaining minutes of the other user.

If all minutes are consumed emergency calling will still work and go through

Consumption based billing can be used if all minutes are consumed

Premium rate numbers are not part of PSTN Calling service in certain countries. Its important to check the features for the countries calling plan.

*** June 2018 update, its appear premium rate calling is dependent on the countries calling plan. For example in the UK outbound calls to the premium number are partially supported. If its not part of the calling plan then you would be charge from communication credits i believe.

I did find however in the UK for companies lower than 10 users its allowed. More details here in section 10.

PSTN Consumption based billing

Optionally feature

Number of scenarios where its used

Conferencing Dial out
Toll free numbers for Dial in conferencing, call queues or AA
Used for users who use Cloud PBX with pstn calling, if they are calling a country that is not included in their pstn calling plan, users who only have domestic plan who want to call international

funding options

one time funding
Auto recharge

Recommended auto recharge, one time funding if used up it could block functionality from working which wouldn’t be good.

Phone Numbers and Porting

Bring your own numbers or new numbers from Microsoft

If you want to have new numbers its simple process and search by country state region. You can acquire more numbers than licences and theres a formula for this below.

You can bring your own so users can keep their phone numbers, no new business cards.

If you want to keep your own phones you need to create a port request.

Service Numbers

There are different to user numbers !

They support high volume of incoming calls

Configured differently in the backend

These can be toll or toll free

toll free requires pstn consumption with credit

You can port existing service numbers

How many numbers can i have / request ?

Number of phone numbers

User numbers

There is a calculation

its the number of domestic + domestic and international voice calling plans * 1.1 +10 so 50 users =

50 *1.1 +10 = 65

Service Numbers

Its different looking at licences for Cloud PBX and PSTN Conferencing

This using the table above.

if you have 1 – 24 you can have 5 service numbers and 5 toll free

Porting existing Phone Numbers

Important not to disconnect service with existing carrier, they are to participate in the porting process.
Turn off any special carrier features if applicable
Create port request, all numbers need to be from single carrier
if multiple carriers then each carrier will need its each port request
Company name is important
Billing telephone number and account number if set up
LOA signed by authorised party that proves these numbers can be ported
You can chose full or partial port where only some numbers are ported.
Number porting example in Office 365 admin portal

LOA examples and downloads can be found at the bottom of the post.

This is the middle of a porting request

You can only port numbers using the portal in the US

Other countries you will need to open a support request

In the US you can enter single or number ranges

You can port maximum 999 numbers if more a service request is required.

You can transfer all or a subset.

Types or porting

Standard
Project
Complex

Standard porting in the US can be done via portal, complex via service request

Single billing telephone number, single carrier single address. usually done in 7 business days providing porting request not rejected.
Project based above 100 numbers with single addresses, carrier, address 3 – 4 weeks
Complex – more than 999 multiple address, billing telephone numbers, single carrier. manually handling usually 3 – 4 weeks assuming no rejections. Service request required. Recommended if first time, test with single numbers to learn the process before moving all of them.

Emergency Services Dialling

Location is required so numbers are routed correctly to the emergency calling centre

Required when acquired or assigned to a user

In US its required when assigning to a user

Is other counties required when acquiring phone number

Important – emergency locations should be added up front.

Also different calling behaviour for rich client (windows or mac) calls will be placed within SfB, Mobile clients will be sent via mobile carrier for better service.

Flow of Emergency Calling (US )

Diagram is US specific!

Step 1 – Administrator defines location

Step 2 – address validated against master street address guide (US Only)

(Other countries uses Bing Maps to ensure address exists)

Step 3 – users Assign phone number and location and this information is stored in Step 4. Automatic location identification used in case of emergency. Users is configured but has not placed an emergency call

Step 5 – Users dials emergency phone number and is connected to operator (Call Screener) and confirms address with caller and transfer call to PSAP public safety answering point. US Only

(Other countries calls do direct to emergency service local the address, no call screener)

Address confirmed and address is set to dispatcher and emergency service and user is connected to local emergency services.

Additional Configurations

Dial Plans are used to normalise phone numbers

Users in the US don’t want to dial the +1 and want to dial 555 123 456

SfB will use the dial plan to normalise with the +1 in front

Today Dial Plans are defined on user locations, US phones will be normalised to US.

Tenant/ Custom dial plans are in preview now so recommend signing up at https://www.skypepreview.com/ You can also use extensions

Outgoing Caller ID Manipulations

By default the outgoing caller ID will be the user telephone number.

You can change this via PowerShell

Can be changed to a different phone number or block the caller ID being sent so unknown is displayed.

You can do this for all your users, per user or service numbers

Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling In Action

Lets take a look at this in action.

New Numbers

Administrator is signed into Office 365 admin portal and is requesting new telephone numbers for a new user.

Choosing new user number for a user, next we need to select country, region and city so we can get a the correct area code.

Chose the city, above US and California is selected.

You can also see above the quantity you can acquire

You enter the number you require and you can select the telephone numbers you want.

Define Emergency Locations

In the US this is done after acquiring a phone number but in other countries this must be done before acquiring telephone numbers.

The address is required to be validated as shown above and it will prompt if not correct as shown above.

Once Emergency location is added this listed under Emergency locations

You can select the location and add floor information as highlighted in red box below.

Next we need to assign the phone number to the user.

From Voice users tab select the user and from the drop down select a number and emergency location.

Emergency Calling disclaimer – Please read

Please note how Emergency calling is different with Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling due to the nature of SfB and its mobile use.
It will tell you emergency service centre may not know the exact locations as the user may be at home, travelling or customer so will prompt for the users location
There is situations where operator may ask for users actual location
If users has no power, network or internet SfB wont be able to call emergency services
If travel international then emergency calls shouldn’t be used as emergency wont be routed to the in country emergency services.

Once accepted the number is assigned to the user

You can also view the Unified Messaging (Voicemail) status for the user. If the users mailbox is on Exchange Online this will automatically be setup. If users mailbox on premises this will required setting up. More info can be found here

Operational Considerations