On July 15, Microsoft announced new calling plans for 8 countries. Just two weeks later, on August 1, they canceled those plans as well as their pre-announced Microsoft 365 Enterprise Voice calling plans. It is just like what Lucy used to do to Charlie Brown in the old Peanuts comic strip. Charlie would get excited about having the chance to kick the football and Lucy would promise that this time, she wouldn’t pull the football away. Charlie would build up a full head of steam as he ran towards the football. And sure enough, right when Charlie Brown was just about to kick that ball, Lucy would pull it away, Charlie would fly through the air and land flat on his back.

So what was Microsoft thinking? This is the kind of thing they used to do 25 years ago to freeze the market. They would make an announcement that some capability was coming, then they would delay, delay, delay. At least this time, they completely pulled the product. I will assume it was just a case of them putting the cart before the horse. 

As to why they actually did this, we have no idea. There are just rumors. The most interesting one involved something called the staff of RA and the Arc of the Covenant. But that sounded a little like a Steven Spielberg movie so we decided to ignore it. 

However, there is some good news!

You can still get voice services for Microsoft teams because we can provide it to you. Perhaps the fact that we have such a great offering is why Microsoft decided to drop theirs in the first place.  Regardless, 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams provides global voice calling plans and other value-added services accessible directly from Teams. No separate interface, no need to retrain users. You sign up, we set it up, and your users gain international phone connectivity from the Teams desktop or mobile app they’re already using.

So, if you were waiting with the hope Microsoft would deliver a better PSTN voice solution, we’re here to give you hope again. We won’t pull the football away.

Watch this 48-second video to see how easy it is to add 8x8 Voice for MSFT Teams. If you’re ready to get started, request a personalized demo.