Ribbon Communications, the global provider of real time communications software and IP optical networking solutions to service providers, enterprises, and critical infrastructure sectors, has announced that it has appointed Channel UC as a partner and distributor in Australia and New Zealand.

The agreement covers Ribbon Connect for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, and both appliance and software-based Session Border Controllers.

Brad Milne, Managing Director at Channel UC, says, "Ribbon Connect is an easy, efficient route to market for partners looking to quickly activate Microsoft Teams SIP trunks to Microsoft phone system licensing or extend Direct Routing to include connectivity to existing PBX infrastructure.

"Including it in our Microsoft Teams product portfolio of software solutions enables us to strengthen our partner communities' offering while reducing their overheads. This is especially important today, when finding skilled staff to manage complex environments is challenging."

Ribbon Connect is a cloud-based service that securely connects new or existing phone lines, numbers and calling plans to Microsoft Teams. The solution is delivered on a per-user, per seat basis, and adds "dial tone" to Microsoft Teams deployments making it easy to place and receive business phone calls, turning Teams into the office phone system, the company states.

Ribbon Connect streamlines the installation process for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, eliminating the need to manage any on premise SBC hardware infrastructure.

Manny Christophidis, Channels Director, Asia Pacific, Ribbon Communications, comments, "We are delighted to extend our relationship with Channel UC in Australia and New Zealand - their expertise in providing partners with simple and easy to deploy solution that are helping organisations of all sizes to get the most out of their Microsoft Teams environments, is a tremendous asset to the Channel community."

Based in Sydney, Australia, Channel UC is a specialist Unified Communication, Contact Centre and Analytics Software Solutions distributor. The company was formerly a stand-alone division of Mia Distribution and was spun out as a separate business when Mia was acquired by Bluechip Infotech in August of 2022.

Ribbon Communications delivers communications software, IP and optical networking solutions to service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors globally. The company is focused on engaging deeply with customers, helping them modernise networks for improved competitive positioning and business outcomes.

The company's end-to-end solutions portfolio is designed to deliver scale, performance, and agility, including core to edge software-centric solutions, cloud-native offers, security and analytics tools, along with IP and optical networking solutions for 5G.