Date: 19th November 2025
Location: Virtual
Topic: Building Scalable Voice Solutions with Azure Communication Services (ACS)
Speaker: Fabrizio Volpe, Senior Consultant at Exponentially

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A Warm Welcome to the Community

The Welsh Azure User Group wrapped up its final event of 2025 with an engaging virtual session focused on Azure Communication Services (ACS). Hosted by John Lunn and Matthew Fortunka, the meetup brought together Azure enthusiasts to learn, share, and network. The evening kicked off with housekeeping notes and a reminder that the group thrives on community contributions—ideas, speakers, and feedback are always welcome.

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Keynote: Building Scalable Voice Solutions

Our featured speaker, Fabrizio Volpe, delivered a deep dive into ACS and its capabilities for creating custom communication workflows. Here are the highlights:

• Why ACS Matters:
  ACS enables developers to integrate voice, video, SMS, and email into applications using APIs and SDKs. Unlike traditional platforms, ACS offers flexibility for bespoke solutions while leveraging Microsoft’s global backbone for reliability.
• Performance & Scalability:
  Fabrizio emphasised the importance of low latency and high-quality connections for voice and video. ACS is designed to auto-scale from a single user to thousands, ensuring resilience and global reach.
• Core Features:
  • PSTN integration and direct routing
  • WebRTC for browser-based real-time communication
  • Identity federation with Azure Entra
  • SMS and email capabilities
  • Call automation using Event Grid and Webhooks
• Developer Experience:
  ACS is powerful but developer-centric. Fabrizio showcased how automation workflows can handle incoming calls, play greetings, record conversations, and integrate with Copilot Studio and Cognitive Services for advanced scenarios like speech-to-text.

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Practical Insights

• Cost & Setup: Creating ACS resources in Azure is straightforward, and testing can be done with demo tenants and low-cost phone numbers.
• Use Cases: From customer support bots to marketing campaigns using SMS short codes, ACS opens doors for innovative communication solutions.
• Future Outlook: Integration with generative AI and voice agents is on the horizon, promising even smarter interactions.

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Community Interaction & Quiz

The session concluded with a lively quiz covering ACS features, Ignite updates, and Azure trivia. Congratulations to Alan for taking home the prize!

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Sponsors & Thanks

A big thank you to Servant and Creditsafe for their continued support, and to everyone who joined us throughout 2025. The Welsh Azure User Group will return in the new year with fresh ideas and exciting topics.

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Why This Matters

ACS is often overlooked, but as Fabrizio highlighted, it’s a gateway to Microsoft’s high-grade media infrastructure. For developers and organisations looking to build scalable, secure, and integrated communication solutions, ACS is a game-changer.

A recording can be found on my YouTube Channel – CloudTalk with Jonnychipz

Thanks to all the speakers and to all the attendees!

RSVP to our next Event here: https://www.meetup.com/msft-stack/

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