Hello.

If you are planning on doing call forwarding via the telephone system, do you require 2 lines for this to happen?

One line for the incoming call and 1 line for the outgoing call on the forwarding? It can't use the same line right?

I believe if you setup the call forwarding with the phone service provider, they will do it on their end and you will only need 1 line.

Is this correct?

Thanks.

Yes, if you get Variable Call Forwarding with the telco, you typically dial something like 72# and the number you'd like to forward to, then 100% of your incoming calls to go the forwarded number, until you dial 73# to cancel it.

However, if you want your incoming calls answered by an Automated Attendant, to give the caller the option to dial an extension to leave a message, or select an option to reach someone at an outside number, now you have 2 choices. You can have the outside call go out on a 2nd line and the phone system connects the lines together for the duration of the call, or you can subscribe to a telco feature that will allow the phone system to Flash, dial the outside number, and then disconnect, allowing the call to transfer out and clear the line for a new incoming call.

To explain why it's different:

A forward offsite always requires two lines, one in and one out. But when the Telco does it, both of those lines are in their switch, not yours.

So the "second" line is invisible to you. It goes into their switch on a trunk and out on another, but you never see them.

Hope that helps...