Microsoft Teams: PSTN calling blocked on Teams phone devices in India when emergency location is not configured

PSTN calling on Teams phone devices in India using Operator Connect is blocked if emergency locations are not configured, per telecom regulations. Admins must set emergency addresses and verify Location-Based Routing to restore calling. This change applies to Teams app version 1449+ and ensures regulatory compliance.

[What and Why]

To meet telecommunications regulations in India, Teams now requires an emergency location to be configured for Teams phone devices using PSTN calling with Operator Connect.

This location helps verify that devices are operating within India. If a device cannot be validated, PSTN calling will be blocked to comply with regulatory restrictions on call routing.

[Rollout Schedule]

General Availability (India tenants using Operator Connect): Available now.

[Impact on Your Organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations with users in India using Microsoft Teams Phone with Operator Connect
• Devices running Teams app version 1449/1.0.94.2026088402 and later
• Admins responsible for configuring emergency locations and Location-Based Routing (LBR) policies

Platforms/Services:

• Teams Phone devices (IP phones)

What will happen

• PSTN calling behavior changes when emergency location is not configured:
  • Outbound PSTN calls are blocked.
  • Inbound PSTN calls may:
    • Fail to connect, or
    • Route to voicemail
• This behavior is enforced by design for regulatory compliance.
• No change occurs for users and devices with properly configured emergency locations.

[Action Required / Recommendations]

Action required by admins

To restore PSTN calling functionality, complete the following:

• Configure emergency address/location for all Teams Phone users and devices in India.
• Verify Location-Based Routing (LBR) configuration, including:
  • Network sites and subnets
  • Emergency location associations
• Validate device compliance after configuration changes.
• Review your affected tenants.
• Communicate this requirement to your helpdesk and telephony admins.
• Update internal deployment documentation for Teams Phone in India.

Learn more: Plan and configure Location-Based Routing for Operator Connect for India | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

Question	Answer
Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed?	Yes. PSTN calling behavior depends on configured emergency location data to validate device location.
Does the change include an admin control?	Yes. Admins must configure emergency locations and LBR settings to enable PSTN calling.