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You can buy a number from telli, forward your current business number to a telli number, or connect your own number through SIP.

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Choose your setup

Buy a telli number

The fastest setup. Use a telli-managed number for incoming and outgoing calls. Some countries require business verification.

Forward your current number

Keep your public business number and forward incoming calls to a telli number. You configure the forwarding with your phone provider or PBX.

Connect a SIP number

Connect an existing number and phone system for incoming and outgoing calls. You need SIP trunk access from your provider.
Call forwarding sends calls from your current provider to telli. Call transfer sends an active call from the telli agent to a person or team.

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Buy a telli number

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Before you start

Depending on the country and number type, you may need an approved business verification. Prepare the following information:
  • Your legal business name, registration number, and registered address
  • A current business registration document
  • The name and contact details of an authorized representative
  • The country, number type, and local area code that you need
For a German business, a commercial register extract or a business registration document is usually accepted. The company name, registration number, and address must match the data that you enter in telli.
A local number can require an address in the area covered by its prefix. Do not use a PO box. Requirements differ by country and number type; the verification form shows the required documents for your selection.

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Complete business verification

1

Open Verifications

Go to Phone numbers, select Verifications, and stay on the Regulatory Compliance tab.
2

Start a verification

Select Add Verification, then choose the country and number type. Enter a clear internal name, such as DE Local - Berlin office.
3

Enter the business details

Enter the legal business data and the authorized representative exactly as shown in the registration document.
4

Upload and submit the documents

Upload the documents requested in the form. Submit the verification and track its status on the Regulatory Compliance tab.
The form takes about five minutes when your documents are ready. Approval often takes one or two business days, but it can take longer if the provider needs more information.
Business verification dialog with Germany, Local, and Verification Name fields

Start a business verification for a local German number

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Purchase the number

1

Start the purchase

Go to Phone numbers and select New Number.
2

Choose the number

Select the country and number type. Local numbers support voice. Available mobile numbers can also support SMS.
3

Select the verification and prefix

If required, select an approved business verification. For a German local number, enter the area code without the leading 0, for example 30 for Berlin.
4

Confirm the purchase

Select Continue, choose an available number, review the details, and confirm the purchase.
5

Assign how the number is used

Open the new number. Assign the agent that answers incoming calls. For outgoing calls, use the global pool, reserve the number for one agent, or turn outbound use off.
New phone number dialog with Germany, Local Voice, business verification, and Berlin prefix selected

Search for a local German phone number

Number availability and capabilities depend on the country and number type. Check the Voice and SMS badges in the phone number list.
To show your verified business name on outbound calls from a telli-managed number, set up Branded Calling.

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Keep your current business number

A common setup is to keep your existing public number and forward incoming calls to a telli number. Your existing number stays with your current provider. Outgoing calls from your existing phone system are not changed. Choose when telli should answer:

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Common mobile forwarding codes

Many mobile networks support the following GSM MMI codes. Replace <destination> with the full telli number, including the + and country code. Enter the code in the phone app and press the call button.
Codes and their effects can differ by provider, plan, and device. Fixed-line services and PBXs often use different codes. Some codes can also overwrite or remove existing voicemail forwarding. Check your provider’s instructions before using them.
For provider examples, see the Telekom mobile codes and Vodafone mobile help.

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Configure forwarding outside telli

1

Prepare the telli destination

Buy a telli number and assign an inbound agent. Copy the full number in E.164 format, including the leading + and country code.
2

Configure your provider or phone system

Create the forwarding rule in your provider portal, router, or PBX. For example, a FRITZ!Box usually places this under Telephony > Call Handling > Call Diversion. Menu names can differ by version.
3

Preserve the original caller ID

Ask your provider or PBX administrator to pass the original caller number. This setting can be called CLIP no screening, original caller ID, or P-Asserted-Identity.
4

Test the complete path

Call your existing number from another phone. For a no-answer rule, do not answer the original line. Confirm that the correct telli agent answers and that the call appears in Conversations.
Call forwarding is configured outside telli. Your provider can charge for the forwarded call leg. Check the price, supported forwarding rules, caller ID behavior, and maximum ring time with the provider.

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Provider checklist

Before you go live, confirm these items with your phone provider or PBX administrator:
  • Which forwarding rules are supported: always, no answer, busy, and time based
  • Whether the original caller ID reaches telli
  • Whether voicemail or an IVR answers before the forwarding rule starts
  • Whether forwarded calls have additional costs or concurrency limits
  • How to disable the rule quickly and how to prevent forwarding loops
If no call appears in Conversations, the call did not reach telli. Check the forwarding rule with your provider. If the call appears but the wrong agent answers, check the inbound assignment on the telli number.

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Connect your existing number with SIP

Forwarding changes incoming calls only. A custom SIP trunk connects your existing number and provider to telli for incoming and outgoing calls.
Custom SIP trunks work alongside telli-provided numbers. You can use either option or both.

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Configure both sides of the connection

To import a SIP number, configure both sides:
  • In telli, add the phone number, provider termination URI, SIP credentials, and transport protocol. These settings let telli place outgoing calls through your provider.
  • In your SIP provider, route incoming calls for that number to telli. Provider field names differ, but the destination is always:
You need the following information in telli:
Do not include the sip: prefix in the Termination URI. Enter only the hostname or IP address. The incoming destination in your SIP provider does use the sip: prefix.
Choose the transport protocol that matches your provider’s trunk settings. If your provider does not specify one, keep the default TCP.

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Add a custom SIP trunk

1

Open Phone Numbers

Open Phone Numbers in your telli dashboard.
2

Start the import

Select Import Number.
3

Enter the configuration

Enter your phone number, SIP credentials, and transport protocol.Import Number dialog with phone number, SIP credentials, and transport protocol fields
4

Save and test

Select Import Number, then test incoming and outgoing calls.

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Provider examples

Use these examples to map provider settings to the telli fields. Each setup includes incoming routing to telli and the outgoing termination settings that you enter in telli.

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Twilio Elastic SIP Trunking

1

Create or open an Elastic SIP Trunk

In the Twilio Console, create an Elastic SIP Trunk or open the trunk used by your imported number.
2

Route incoming calls to telli

Open Origination and add sip:axg8odfh9dw.sip.livekit.cloud as the Origination URI.
3

Configure outgoing calls

Open Termination and note the Termination URI, for example your-trunk.pstn.twilio.com or your-trunk.pstn.frankfurt.twilio.com. Under Authentication > Credentials, create a username and password.
4

Assign the phone number

Make sure that your phone number is assigned to this trunk.
5

Add the number to telli

In telli, enter your phone number, the Twilio Termination URI without sip:, the Twilio credentials, and the transport protocol configured for your trunk.

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Telnyx

1

Create an FQDN SIP connection

In Telnyx, create a SIP connection and select the FQDN connection type.
2

Route incoming calls to telli

Under Authentication and Routing, add axg8odfh9dw.sip.livekit.cloud as an FQDN and set DNS Record Type to SRV. Do not include the sip: prefix in this field.
3

Set the number format

Set both Destination Number Format and Origination Number Format to +E.164.
4

Configure outgoing credentials

Configure credential-based authentication with a username and password.
5

Assign the phone number

Make sure that your phone number uses this Telnyx SIP connection.
6

Add the number to telli

In telli, enter your phone number, sip.telnyx.com as the Termination URI without sip:, the Telnyx credentials, and the transport protocol configured for your SIP connection.
For country-specific regulatory requirements, see the Twilio phone number guidelines.

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