Phone Number Normalization

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 will reach end of support on January 9, 2018. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

Phone number normalization is the process of translating number strings that are entered in various formats into a single standard format. Enterprise Voice requires normalized phone numbers to:

• Provide a consistent reference for reverse number look-up. Reverse number look-up is the process of mapping a users number to a corresponding SIP-URI for the purpose of routing calls over the IP network to multiple user endpoints, including Office Communicator, the Office Communicator Telephone Experience, and call-handling options such as call forwarding and call answering.

• Identify and apply phone usage authorization (comparable to traditional "class of service" options) for the calling party.

• Route calls to the appropriate media gateway.

Communications Server 2007 normalizes numbers prior to performing reverse number lookup. If the normalized number matches the designated primary work number of a user with an Active Directory identity, the call is forked to the endpoints associated with that user's SIP-URI. If the server does not find a match, which means the target number is probably outside the enterprise, the Outbound Routing component checks the caller's phone usage to determine if a call to that number is authorized, and then either directs the call to the appropriate media gateway or notifies the caller that the call is not allowed.