Setting up call forwarding at Telekom (mobile and landline)

First: immediately, when busy or delayed?

Before you type a code, decide when calls should be forwarded:

Most businesses combine delayed, when busy and when unreachable: everything stays as it was, except that instead of voicemail the forwarding destination takes over — an AI phone assistant, for instance. For an overview of every connection route, see the basics article "Setting up call forwarding: the four routes and their pitfalls".

Mobile: forwarding by key code in three steps

The codes work on any handset — they are not a Telekom peculiarity but a network standard (GSM):

1. Have the target number ready. That is the number calls are forwarded to — your assistant's, for example.
2. Type the code into the phone app, like an ordinary phone number. For delayed forwarding after 25 seconds: **61*<target number>**25#. The delay can be set between 5 and 30 seconds, in steps of 5.
3. Press the call button. The network confirms the forwarding with a message on the display — done.

The most important codes at a glance:

Alternatively you will find forwarding in the settings of iPhone and Android, under "call forwarding" or a similar label, depending on the make — the same network features sit behind those switches. Telekom's help pages describe no route through the customer centre for mobile; they name only the key code and the device settings (as of 2 November 2026).

Landline: setting up forwarding in the Telefoniecenter

For Telekom landline connections (MagentaZuhause and fibre) you set the forwarding up network-side in the Telefoniecenter, the web application for your telephony settings. According to Telekom's help pages it works like this:

1. Open the Telefoniecenter and sign in with your Telekom Login.
2. Select the number and confirm with "Weiter".
3. In the reachability section click "Anrufweiterleitung" (call forwarding), then "Weiterleitung hinzufügen" (add forwarding).
4. Tick "nach 25 Sekunden" (after 25 seconds), "bei besetzt" (when busy) or "sofort" (immediately), enter the target number in the free field and confirm with "Speichern" (save).

The setting applies per number; repeat the steps for any further numbers on the same line. Key codes also work on the landline phone itself — with one star fewer than on mobile, for instance *21*target number# for immediate forwarding and #21# to switch it off.

Two things to note:

• Network-side is more robust than in the router. Immediate forwarding stored in the Telefoniecenter still applies when the router or the phone system is switched off or faulty.
• If you would rather set the forwarding up in the router (in a FRITZ!Box, say), you can do that too — but then it only applies for as long as the device is running.

Pitfalls: caller ID, cost, ring delay

Caller ID (CLIP): if your provider's network does the forwarding (key code, app, customer portal), the standard has the destination receive the caller's number. Your own number typically arrives only when a FRITZ!Box or phone system forwards the call itself — and then an assistant cannot capture the caller's number automatically. Check it after setting up, with a call from a second phone. The article "Why the AI sometimes sees the wrong number (the CLIP problem)" explains this in full.

Cost: the forwarded leg of the call is paid by the line owner. On mobile, Telekom says forwarding to another number costs the same as a normal call on your tariff; forwarding to the Mobilbox (voicemail) is free. Check once in your tariff documents whether calls to the forwarding destination are included in your flat rate before you forward permanently.

The ring delay: 5 seconds is too short to pick up yourself; 30 seconds is too long for many callers. 20–25 seconds has proved a good middle ground.

What this means for your AI assistant

The forwarding is all it takes: with scoco.ai you keep your Telekom number, nothing changes on your line or your phone system, and basic setup takes about 10 minutes. When a caller number is transmitted, the assistant offers to use it as the callback number — if the caller accepts, it is taken without being read back; with a CLIP problem, that is your own. A dictated number it reads back digit by digit. Hence the test call from a second phone. A planner in the dashboard shows the right codes, with your scoco number already filled in. Calls are not recorded; transcripts and summaries are produced.