Call Forwarding in Sri Lanka: Divert Codes and a Better Setup for Business Calls

Call forwarding sends calls meant for one number to another. If you run a small or medium business in Sri Lanka, you have probably used it already: diverting the office mobile to a colleague while you’re travelling, or sending calls to your own phone when the front desk is closed. It’s one of the simplest ways to stop missing customers.

This guide covers both sides. First, the divert codes that work on Sri Lankan mobile networks today, so you can set up forwarding in a minute. Then the limits of phone-by-phone forwarding once a team relies on it, and what a business-grade setup looks like when calls need to reach the right person every time.

What is call forwarding?

Call forwarding (also called call divert or call diversion) tells the network to pass an incoming call to a different number instead of ringing your phone. The other number can be a mobile or a landline. The caller dials you as usual and usually doesn’t notice the call has been moved.

There are four common types:

• Forward all calls. Every call goes straight to the other number. Useful when you’re on leave or your phone is off for the day.
• Forward when busy. Calls go elsewhere only while you’re already on a call.
• Forward when unanswered. If you don’t pick up after a set time, the call moves on.
• Forward when unreachable. Calls divert when your phone is switched off or out of coverage.

For a business, the last three are usually the most useful, because you still take the calls you can and only pass on the ones you’d miss.

Call divert codes for Dialog and Mobitel

Both major mobile networks publish standard divert codes that you type into the dialler and send like a normal call. Replace the example with the number you want calls to go to.

What you want	Code to dial
Divert all calls	**21*0771234567#
Divert when busy	**67*0771234567#
Divert when unanswered	**61*0771234567#
Divert when unreachable	**62*0771234567#
Check if a divert is on	*#21# (or *#67#, *#61#, *#62#)
Cancel all diverts	##002#

Dialog lists these codes on its Call Diversion page and says no special activation is needed. It notes that “when unanswered” kicks in after about 30 seconds. Dialog users can also manage call divert from the #107# menu under Call Management.

Mobitel publishes the same set with a single star at the start (for example *21* followed by the number and #) and also lets you set forwarding in your phone under Settings, Call settings, Call forwarding.

On most smartphones you can do the same thing without codes: open the Phone app settings, find Call forwarding (sometimes under Supplementary services or Calling accounts) and enter the number for each condition.

Two things worth checking with your network before you rely on it:

1. How forwarded calls are charged. Ask your provider whether you pay for the forwarded part of the call and at what rate, especially if you forward to a number on another network.
2. That it works on your business connection. Whether the number is prepaid or postpaid, test a divert on the exact connection customers call before you rely on it.

Where phone-by-phone forwarding falls short for a business

Divert codes are perfect for one person and one phone. They start to cause problems when a team depends on them.

• Forwarding only goes to one place. A divert sends a call to a single number. If that person is also busy, the call goes to their voicemail, or nowhere.
• Someone has to remember to switch it on and off. Forwarding left on after a holiday is a common reason a business number “stops working”. Forgetting to turn it on is just as common.
• No sense of business hours. A mobile divert doesn’t know it’s 7pm or a poya day. It forwards the same way at 9am on Monday and 11pm on Saturday.
• The customer’s call lands on a personal number. When calls divert to a staff member’s own mobile, the relationship often follows that phone, including after the person leaves.
• No record of what happened. You can’t easily see how many calls were forwarded, who answered them, or how many were missed.
• Branches can’t share calls. Two offices with separate numbers each need their own forwarding rules, set up phone by phone.

If any of these sound familiar, the problem isn’t forwarding itself. It’s that forwarding is being done on individual handsets rather than by a system that understands how your business takes calls.

Business call forwarding with a cloud phone system

A cloud phone system (a cloud PBX) handles forwarding centrally, on the business number, instead of on each person’s phone. You decide the rules once and they apply automatically. Here is what that typically looks like:

• Follow-me. An unanswered office extension rings the person’s mobile next, so they can take the call on the road without giving out a personal number.
• Ring groups. A call to “sales” can ring two or three people at once, or one after another, until someone answers.
• Time-based routing. Calls during office hours go to reception. After hours, at weekends and on poya days they can go to a duty mobile, a voicemail box or a recorded message.
• A welcome menu. “Press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts” sends callers to the right team before any forwarding happens. Longer automated menus are covered by an IVR system.
• Call reports. You can see missed, answered and forwarded calls, so nothing quietly disappears.
• One number for every branch. Calls can move between offices on the same system, without each branch setting up its own diverts.

These are features of Digital Urgency Cloud PBX, and they’re set up once by our team rather than by each staff member with a code.

Mobile divert or business system: which do you need?

	Mobile divert codes	Cloud phone system
Set up by	Each person on their phone	Once, for the whole business
Forwards to	One number	A person, a group, a menu or a mobile
Knows business hours	No	Yes
Business number stays the same	Only if the forwarded phone is the business line	Yes
Call records	Limited, per phone	Central reports
Best for	One person, short periods	Teams, branches and after-hours cover

A sole trader who wants calls to reach a second phone while travelling only needs the codes above. A business with a reception desk, several staff or more than one location will usually find that forwarding rules on a system save time and missed calls every week.

How to set up business call forwarding properly

If you’re moving from phone diverts to a system, a little planning goes a long way.

1. Write down where calls should go. Who answers first, who’s next if they’re busy, and what happens if nobody picks up.
2. Decide your hours. Include lunch breaks, weekends, public holidays and poya days.
3. Pick an after-hours option. A duty mobile, voicemail to email, or a message with your WhatsApp or email details.
4. Keep customers on the business number. Forward to staff mobiles through the system, so customers never need personal numbers.
5. Test every path. Call from a mobile and a landline at different times and check each rule works.
6. Review the reports after a week. Look for missed calls and adjust the order or timing.

Getting started

Call divert codes are a quick fix, and every business owner should know them. Once your team relies on forwarding every day, it’s worth moving the rules off individual phones and onto a system that follows your business hours and keeps every call on your number.

Digital Urgency Cloud PBX is available in Standard, Premium and Enterprise tiers. Request a quote and we’ll map out how your calls should flow, then confirm setup, monthly and call charges in writing before you commit.