Microsoft has launched Azure Communication Services, “the first fully managed communication platform” that brings rich communication APIs to all your applications across any device, on any platform.

Azure Communication Services makes it easy to add voice and video calling, chat, and SMS text message capabilities to mobile apps, desktop applications, and websites with just a few lines of code.

Microsoft describes ACS as “a set of rich communications APIs that you use to integrate secure, encrypted communications services into any application – on any platform.”

ACS is built on the same enterprise-grade infrastructure that powers the voice, video and messaging services for Microsoft Teams.

Unlike any previous Microsoft 365 Graph-powered experience, ACS is offered as a Azure service. This means that the billing and management for your app’s use of these communications services is based on consumption rather than user licensing. Moreover, it’s consolidated with the rest of your app’s Azure infrastructure.

The offering is currently in public preview.