Teams Phone Call Quality and E911 Dynamic Emergency Calling
Teams Phone Call Quality and E911 Dynamic Emergency Calling fixes the two things an organization already on Microsoft Teams Phone usually discovers late: users saying calls drop, echo or break up, and an insurer, auditor or landlord asking how a 911 call from a Teams client reaches the right dispatcher with the caller's floor and room. IT Partner reads your Call Quality Dashboard and per-user call analytics, checks each site's network against Microsoft's published targets for latency, jitter and loss, sets the QoS markings and media-port ranges Teams expects, gives your network team written Wi-Fi and VPN split-tunnel guidance, and fixes device firmware and policy defects. Then we build dynamic emergency calling end to end — trusted IPs, the Location Information Service map of subnets, Wi-Fi access points, switches and ports, validated emergency addresses with dispatchable location, emergency calling and routing policies with security-desk notification — run a test call from every in-scope site, and write a summary of how the configuration lines up with Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act for your counsel. $2,950 fixed price for one tenant and the sites listed in the written quote, about 2 weeks, on Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect or Direct Routing.
What this engagement is
Most Teams Phone estates go live, port their numbers and never look back at the two things that go wrong quietly. The first is voice quality: a sales floor on crowded Wi-Fi, a finance team behind a full-tunnel VPN, a headset three firmware versions behind — the complaints arrive as "Teams is bad" while Microsoft is already collecting the per-call stream data that would say exactly why. The second is 911. Microsoft Teams Phone is a multi-line telephone system in the FCC's terms, and two federal rules apply to it: Kari's Law, in force since 16 February 2020 for systems installed after that date, requires direct 911 dialing with no prefix and a notification to a central point such as a front desk or security office whenever 911 is dialed; RAY BAUM's Act requires the call to carry a dispatchable location — the validated street address plus the floor, suite or room that lets responders find the caller — with compliance dates of 6 January 2021 for fixed devices and 6 January 2022 for non-fixed devices such as laptops and softphones. Teams can do all of this, but only once someone builds the network map that tells it where a client is. Until then a 911 call from a laptop in a branch office carries whatever address sits on the number, or no location at all — and in the United States, a Calling Plan call with no location is answered by a screening center before it reaches a public safety answering point. Part one is call quality. We start with the Call Quality Dashboard — Microsoft is rolling out a refreshed CQD interface in September 2026, and we work in whichever version your tenant shows — and upload a building and endpoint data file so reports break out by site and separate your managed network from home and hotel Wi-Fi. Per-user call analytics in the Teams admin center take the worst complaints down to the individual stream: which leg was poor, on which network, with which device. We run Microsoft's Network Assessment Tool from each site against Microsoft's published targets (one-way latency under 50 ms, round trip under 100 ms, jitter under 30 ms, packet loss under 1 percent), set the QoS markers and port ranges in the Teams admin center and the matching policy-based QoS on Windows clients — DSCP 46 for audio on ports 50000–50019, 34 for video on 50020–50039, 18 for screen sharing on 50040–50059 — and hand your network team a written brief on what to mark and prioritise on switches, routers and firewalls, plus Wi-Fi and VPN split-tunnel recommendations. Certified headsets and Teams phones get their firmware brought current, and calling and meeting policy settings that hurt media are corrected. You receive a findings report that names each recurring cause, what we fixed in the tenant, and what remains for your network team or ISP. Part two is dynamic emergency calling. We record the public IP addresses your sites present to the internet as trusted IPs — Teams only consults the location map when a client's public address matches one — then populate the Location Information Service with the subnets, Wi-Fi access points, switches and switch ports at each site, each tied to an emergency address validated in the Teams admin center and, where a building has more than one floor or suite, to a place beneath it so the location is dispatchable. Emergency calling policies decide who is notified and how — notification only, or a security desk conferenced in muted or unmuted, by Teams users and groups or a PSTN number — and are assigned to users and to network sites so a visiting laptop behaves according to where it is. For remote and home workers we set external location lookup so Teams asks them to confirm or enter their address. How the call leaves Teams differs by connectivity, and we say so up front: on Microsoft Calling Plans, Microsoft routes the call with the location; on Operator Connect, your operator's emergency routing service does, under the operator's own address and testing rules; on Direct Routing, your Session Border Controller must pass the location to the carrier as PIDF-LO in the SIP INVITE or as an ELIN, an emergency routing service provider or ELIN application must be in place, and an emergency call routing policy with the 911 and 933 dial strings must exist in Teams. We then place a test call from each in-scope site — the 933 test service for Calling Plan and Operator Connect users in the United States and Canada, which reads back the caller ID, the address it received and whether the call would go straight to the dispatcher; the provider's own test procedure for Direct Routing — log the results, and write the summary your counsel and insurer can read. Who this is for: US organizations with 2 to 50 sites already running Teams Phone on Calling Plans, Operator Connect or Direct Routing, whose users complain about calls or who have been asked about 911. If Teams Phone is not deployed yet, Microsoft Teams Phone System Setup comes first — see also our guides to porting phone numbers to Microsoft Teams Phone and making and receiving calls around the world with Microsoft Phone System; if you are leaving RingCentral, 8x8 or Zoom Phone, that is RingCentral, 8x8, or Zoom Phone to Teams Phone Migration; business texting is Texting for Microsoft Teams (SMS) Implementation; and the day-to-day administration that keeps the location map current after a move is the Managed Microsoft Teams Phone Service.
Success criteria
What you receive
How the work unfolds
Kickoff call to confirm sites, PSTN connectivity per number range, the worst call-quality complaints and who must be notified on a 911 call. IT Partner collects the site and network inventory (civic addresses, floors and suites, public IPs, subnets, Wi-Fi BSSIDs, switch identifiers), takes administrator access, and pulls CQD and per-user call analytics for the period available.
Build and upload the building and endpoint data file, analyse poor streams by site, network type and device, run the Network Assessment Tool from each site, and check the firewall and proxy path. Deliver the draft findings report with the causes ranked.
Set QoS markers and port ranges in the Teams admin center, deliver policy-based QoS for Windows clients, bring in-scope device firmware current, correct policy settings, and hand your network team the marking brief and the Wi-Fi and VPN split-tunnel recommendations.
Enter and validate emergency addresses and places, record trusted IPs, populate the Location Information Service with each site's subnets, access points, switches and ports, build and assign emergency calling policies, and — on Direct Routing — the emergency call routing policy and the PSTN gateway location setting agreed with your carrier or ELIN application.
Place and log a test call from each in-scope site with the security desk warned in advance, fix what the tests find, deliver the compliance summary, the as-built record and the add-a-site runbook, walk your administrators through the admin-center pages, and close on your approval. Our work fits in about 2 weeks; site access and carrier test scheduling set the calendar.
Prerequisites
Who does what
IT Partner
- Run the kickoff, take the inventory, pull CQD and per-user call analytics, and build and upload the building and endpoint data file.
- Run or direct the Network Assessment Tool at each site, compare results with Microsoft's published targets, and write the findings report with ranked causes.
- Set QoS markers and port ranges in the Teams admin center, deliver policy-based QoS for Windows clients, correct policy settings, and bring in-scope device firmware current.
- Write the network marking brief and the Wi-Fi and VPN split-tunnel recommendations for your network team.
- Enter and validate emergency addresses and places, record trusted IPs, populate the Location Information Service, and build and assign the emergency calling policies and, on Direct Routing, the emergency call routing policy and PSTN gateway location setting.
- Run the test call from each in-scope site, log the results, and fix configuration defects within scope.
- Deliver the compliance summary, the as-built record, the add-a-site runbook and the administrator walkthrough.
Your team
- Provide the site and network inventory, and confirm that the civic addresses, floors and suites are correct — the location Teams sends is only as good as the address you validate.
- Grant administrator access, make a machine available at each site for the network test, and apply the DSCP marking, VPN and Wi-Fi recommendations on your own equipment.
- Own the Session Border Controller, carrier contract and emergency routing service on Direct Routing, and the operator relationship on Operator Connect, including any address records the operator requires on its side.
- Name the security-desk recipients, warn them before test calls, and staff the notification after handover.
- Buy the Teams Phone, Calling Plan and any carrier or emergency routing service licences; Microsoft's, the operator's and the carrier's charges are billed to you by them.
- Have counsel or your compliance owner review the summary and make the legal determination; keep the location map current after moves and changes, or engage the managed service to do it.
- Review the deliverables and approve delivery, or report defects, within the schedule.
What's not included
Limitations & technical notes
Frequently asked questions
Does Microsoft Teams Phone support E911 and dynamic emergency calling?
Yes. Microsoft's dynamic emergency calling works on Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing: the Teams client reports the network it is connected to, the Location Information Service matches that network element to an emergency address you have validated, and the call carries that location to the emergency routing service, which picks the right public safety answering point. It only works once trusted IPs, subnets, Wi-Fi access points, switches or ports are mapped in your tenant and the emergency calling policies are built — which is what this engagement does.
What do Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act require of a Teams Phone tenant?
Kari's Law, in force since 16 February 2020 for multi-line systems installed after that date, requires that anyone can dial 911 directly with no prefix and that the system sends a notification to a central point on or off site — a front desk, security office or facilities team — when 911 is dialed. RAY BAUM's Act requires the 911 call to carry a dispatchable location: the validated street address plus the floor, suite or room that lets responders find the caller, with FCC compliance dates of 6 January 2021 for fixed devices and 6 January 2022 for non-fixed devices such as laptops, softphones and off-premises users. Teams meets the first through its dial plan and emergency calling policy notifications, and the second through validated addresses, places and the Location Information Service map. Whether your organization complies is your counsel's determination; we deliver the configuration and a written summary.
What does the engagement include?
Two parts. Call quality: a CQD and per-user call analytics review with a building and endpoint data upload, a Network Assessment Tool run at each site against Microsoft's published targets, QoS markers and port ranges set in the Teams admin center with policy-based QoS for Windows clients, a marking brief plus Wi-Fi and VPN split-tunnel recommendations for your network team, device firmware and policy fixes, and a findings report. Emergency calling: validated emergency addresses and places, trusted IPs, the Location Information Service populated with your subnets, access points, switches and ports, emergency calling policies with security-desk notification, the Direct Routing routing policy and PSTN gateway setting where applicable, a test call from each site, a written summary against Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act, and an administrator handover with an add-a-site runbook.
How much does it cost?
$2,950 fixed price for one tenant and the sites and network elements listed in the written quote, confirmed before work begins; you pay after you approve delivery. Estates whose location map goes beyond the agreed count are quoted per estate. Microsoft Teams Phone and Calling Plan licences, operator and carrier charges, emergency routing service fees and any emergency call charges for misrouted calls are billed by those vendors, not by IT Partner.
How long does it take?
About 2 weeks: data pull and call-quality analysis in the first week, fixes and the emergency-calling build across the second, and test calls, the compliance summary and handover at the end. The calendar depends on site access for the network test, how quickly your team supplies the network inventory, and — on Direct Routing — when your carrier or emergency routing service provider can schedule a test.
Our numbers are on Operator Connect or Direct Routing. Does dynamic E911 still work?
Yes, with different hand-offs. On Operator Connect the operator's emergency routing service receives the location Teams attaches and routes the call, and each operator has its own rules for address validation and testing that we follow. On Direct Routing your Session Border Controller must pass the location to the carrier — as PIDF-LO in the SIP INVITE, enabled through the PSTN gateway setting in Teams, or as an ELIN the SBC maps to a number — and either an emergency routing service provider or an ELIN application must be in place; Teams also needs an emergency call routing policy carrying the 911 and 933 dial strings. We configure the Teams side, agree the hand-off with your carrier and SBC administrator, and test through the provider's procedure. If a carrier supports only a static address on Direct Routing, the summary says so plainly.
How do you test 911 without dialing 911?
With Microsoft's 933 test service, available to Calling Plan and Operator Connect users in the United States and Canada. A 933 call reaches a bot that reads back the caller ID, the emergency address and place it received, and whether the call would route straight to the dispatcher or be screened first. We place one from each in-scope site and log the result. Because 933 also fires the emergency notification, we warn the security desk before every test. Direct Routing sites are tested through your emergency routing service provider's procedure. We never place a live 911 call to test.
What is a dispatchable location, and what do we need to give you?
A dispatchable location is the validated street address plus enough detail — floor, suite, room or quadrant — for responders to reach the caller. In Teams that is an emergency address validated in the admin center and, for larger buildings, places beneath it. To map them we need each site's civic address and floor or suite layout, the public IP addresses the site uses, its subnets, and — for Wi-Fi and port-level accuracy — access-point BSSIDs from your wireless controller and switch chassis IDs and port identifiers. A single-floor office is usually a subnet; a multi-floor building needs access points or switch ports mapped to places.
What about remote and home workers?
A home network is not a mapped site, so Teams cannot look the location up. We enable external location lookup in the emergency calling policy so Teams prompts users outside the mapped network to confirm or enter their address; that address is what the call carries. Users have to answer the prompt honestly, and the user guide in the handover explains why. Off-premises non-fixed devices are inside RAY BAUM's Act's scope since 6 January 2022, which is why the prompt matters.
What causes poor Teams call quality, and what do you actually fix?
In most estates the causes are crowded or badly tuned Wi-Fi, a VPN carrying media it should not, missing QoS marking so voice competes with backups and video, aging headset or phone firmware, and a handful of policy settings. CQD tells us which sites, networks and devices produce poor streams; per-user call analytics show the individual legs. We fix what lives in the tenant, the clients and the devices — QoS markers and ports in the Teams admin center, policy-based QoS on Windows, firmware, policies — and give your network team a written brief for the rest: what to mark and prioritise on switches, routers and firewalls, how to split-tunnel Teams media, and how to tune wireless controllers.
Do we need QoS, and what values does Teams use?
If voice competes with other traffic on your LAN, WAN or VPN, yes. Teams marks and expects DSCP 46 (Expedited Forwarding) for audio on ports 50000–50019, DSCP 34 (AF41) for video on 50020–50039, and DSCP 18 (AF21) for screen sharing on 50040–50059, per Microsoft's guidance at the time of writing. We set the QoS markers and port ranges in the Teams admin center, deliver policy-based QoS for Windows clients through Group Policy or Intune, apply device QoS on Teams-certified phones where supported, and give your network team the matching marking brief. QoS on the network itself is only as good as the honouring configured on each hop, which is your network team's work.
Is the Call Quality Dashboard changing, and is the Network Assessment Tool still current?
At the time of writing Microsoft is rolling out a refreshed CQD interface — public preview in August 2026 and general availability from September 2026 — with the same data and reports behind a new layout, so we work in whichever your tenant shows and the handover notes which one. Microsoft's Teams Network Assessment Tool remains on the Microsoft Download Center (version 2.0) and is what we run at each site; it samples one machine at one moment, so we read it alongside CQD rather than on its own.
We have 30 sites. Is that covered by the fixed fee?
The fee covers the sites and network elements listed in the written quote, and we agree that count at scoping — the audience for this engagement is 2 to 50 sites. A large estate with hundreds of subnets, access points and switch ports to map is quoted per estate, usually with the first sites done under this engagement and the rest under the same runbook. Either way the quote is fixed and in writing before we start.
Is this a compliance certification?
No. We configure Teams to meet Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act as the FCC's rules describe them — direct dialing, notification, dispatchable location — and write a summary of what is configured, what depends on your carrier or operator, and what remains open. Your counsel makes the legal determination, and state rules may add requirements. The summary is written so an insurer or auditor can follow it, which is usually the question that started the engagement.
Which licences do we need?
Each in-scope user needs a Teams Phone licence — Microsoft Teams Phone Standard, Teams Phone with Calling Plan, or a bundle such as Microsoft 365 E5 that includes it — and a PSTN connection: a Microsoft Calling Plan, an Operator Connect operator or Direct Routing. Emergency calling policies and the Location Information Service are part of Teams Phone; no separate Microsoft add-on is needed. On Direct Routing you also need a contracted emergency routing service provider or an ELIN application on your SBC. Licence and carrier costs are yours; if Teams Phone is not deployed yet, the Teams Phone System Setup comes first.