The world adjusted to Microsoft's proprietary way of doing audio and video, and Skype for Business and third-party audio and video interoperability solutions seem to be operating harmoniously.
So, why did Microsoft break this with Teams?
Microsoft has articulated that it wanted to create a new communications platform, one that would enable both innovation and a consistent user experience across devices. Consequently, it created a "next-generation communications service" (NGSC) within Teams for handling all audio and video. It built this service using the Skype consumer stack; this means that the consumer version of Skype and Teams share the same underlying cloud communications technology. The service supports the Silk, Opus, G.711, and G.722 audio codecs, as well as H.264 AVC for video. Thus, the A/V protocols are the same as those supported by many third-party audio/video systems.
The signaling, however, is significantly different. Plus, Microsoft's advanced digital signal processing and error correcting techniques provide full-duplex stereo echo cancellation, adaptive network jitter compensation, packet loss recovery/concealment, and prioritization of audio over video to ensure high-quality voice and video communications under diverse network conditions. Some of these capabilities work in the endpoint and some require the cloud service, so the client and service need to be in sync for optimal performance.
Now, many competitive solutions also support these same codecs, provide noise cancellation and error correction, and so on. So, why did Microsoft basically cut off broad third-party creation of audio and video software solutions that integrate with Teams?
Microsoft contends that it's introducing numerous innovations into Teams, and these advanced capabilities require continual updates for both the client and the Teams service. Allowing third-party software in the mix and/or allowing third-party video technology downgrades a communications session to a set of least common denominator capabilities among devices. This in turn breaks Microsoft's aspiration that users have access to advanced capabilities and a consistent user experience across devices: PCs, tablets, mobile phones, desk phones, and video units.
Microsoft shared examples of advanced communications capabilities earlier this year during its Enterprise Connect 2018 keynote. These include:
Given Microsoft's uncompromising stance that third-party devices need to run Microsoft software, which of your Skype for Business devices will work with Teams, and, as importantly, which won't?
Skype for Business & Teams Interoperability
Skype for Business and Teams users can send and receive instant messages between these respective clients. Any Skype for Business phone or client can call a Teams user directly, and vice versa. However, mixed Skype for Business/Teams client interoperability is for point-to-point communications only. Any multiparty meetings or messaging conversations require everyone to be on the same client to join.
Anytime a Teams user needs to dial out to the PSTN or receive an inbound PSTN call, this call will be routed through a session border controller (SBC). Right now, Microsoft supports SBCs from AudioCodes, Ribbon Communications, and ThinkTel. Of course, if you use Microsoft Calling, you won't need to provide your own SBC. However, if you have your own PSTN connectivity either directly to a provider via SIP trunks or via trunks connected to a cloud or on-premises PBX, you must provide your own SBC.
Microsoft has stated that a number of telephony providers in countries around the world are creating PSTN interconnectivity offerings that will work with Teams. Microsoft is calling this capability "Direct Routing."
Reusing Skype for Business 3PIP Phones with Teams
If you've purchased a 3PIP phone certified to work with Skype for Business, Microsoft has implemented gateways in the next-generation communications service that will allow these devices to work with Teams.
Furthermore, some 3PIP phones run on the Android-based operating system. If you've purchased Android-based 3PIP phones, these devices will be able to receive a software update that will allow them to utilize the new Teams functionality as it rolls out. Specifically, they'll run a Teams app that will use the Microsoft media stack that enables a native connection to the Teams service, without going through any gateways. 3PIP devices that don't run on Android won't receive updated Teams functionality.
3PIP devices that can be updated include the AudioCodes C450HD; Crestron Mercury; Polycom Trio; and Yealink CP960, T56, and T58.
Note that new Teams-specific phones will be appearing from these manufacturers in 2019.
Skype Room Systems & Surface Hub
If you own a Skype Room System from any of the SRS partners, Microsoft has promised that these systems will receive a software update that will make them Teams endpoints. They will then continually receive updates to the Teams-enabled SRS software as Microsoft makes them available. Likewise, any Surface Hub will receive a software update to make it Teams-enabled.
