baertel.com

What It Is

BaerTel SBC is a session border control and collaboration integration service for existing SIP PBX systems. Its core goal is to let Microsoft Teams coexist with a company’s existing phone system rather than forcing a PBX replacement. The page uses FreePBX as an example, but also states that any standards-based SIP PBX with extension and outbound routing capabilities can be used. Google Voice support is planned but has not yet been verified.

Core Capabilities and Integration

Architecturally, Teams connects to the PBX through BaerTel SBC much like a softphone, with calls between Teams and the PBX described as end-to-end encrypted. Organizations can keep their existing PBX extension behavior, voicemail, feature codes, and call routing. Incoming calls can ring both Teams and desk phones at the same time; Teams users can also dial PBX users by extension or place external calls through the PBX. In addition, Teams gains meeting and collaboration capabilities, and PBX extensions, conference bridges, and external numbers can be added to Teams calls or meetings.

Pricing and Trial

The service is currently in early production. Trials typically last 48–72 hours and focus on validating real SIP call flows in the customer’s environment. Pricing is monthly per SBC instance based on the number of Teams users: 1–10 seats are $69/month, scaling up to $599/month for 251–500 seats, with each additional 100 seats costing $149/month. Each instance also carries a one-time $149 fee for configuration, validation, and activation. Monthly billing has no long-term contract and pricing is transparent, but Google Voice pricing has not yet been verified.

Pros and Cons

The main advantage is low migration disruption, making it suitable for organizations that already have PBX investments but want to introduce Teams collaboration. Even if the Teams connection is unavailable, desk phones and outbound calling can still be handled by the PBX, which helps maintain business continuity. The drawbacks are also clear: current availability is limited, onboarding requires manual handling, there is no SLA, no guaranteed geographically redundant failover, and no disclosed information on coverage regions, compliance certifications, payment methods, or voice quality metrics.

Who It’s For and Access from China

BaerTel SBC is better suited for internal IT teams, communications consultants, service providers, or small and midsize businesses using FreePBX or a standard SIP PBX to pilot Teams Direct Routing coexistence. It is less suitable for large-scale production environments with strict requirements around SLAs, cross-region disaster recovery, or compliance audits. Information on access from mainland China and payment options has not been disclosed, so both are considered unknown. For deployments involving Teams, SIP trunking, and cross-border voice, companies should also assess network connectivity, telecom compliance, and alternative local SIP or enterprise communications integration options.