It’s easy to assume your technology setup is doing its job when your phones still ring, your broadband connects, and your alarm line hasn’t failed you yet. For many UK businesses, legacy services have simply become part of the furniture, and the longer you’ve had it, the harder it is to part with. It’s familiar, dependable, and seemingly cheaper than the disruption of change.
But in 2026, that comfort is starting to unravel.
We’re seeing the same patterns repeat across SMB estates every week: surprise price hikes landing with little warning, longer fault resolution times, and termination notices arriving for systems organisations didn’t even realise were at risk. What used to be a safe decision — sticking with what works — is quietly becoming one of the most expensive and risky choices a business can make.
With that being said, it’s important to be clear about one thing early on: this isn’t vendor scare tactics or sales pressure. What’s happening now is an industry-wide shift driven by Ofcom and Openreach as the UK accelerates the retirement of the copper network.
In this article, I’ll explain what “legacy technology” really means in 2026, why prices are rising now, what happens if you stay put, and how to approach migration calmly and on your terms.
When people hear the term "legacy technology," they often think of old phone systems or dusty server rooms. In reality, the definition is much broader, and that’s where many businesses get caught out.
Legacy technologies are outdated systems, hardware, or software that are still in use, simply because they continue to do the job they were initially designed to do. They may be clunky, restrictive or limited in their efficiency, but as long as they still perform their core function, it can be all too tempting to hold on to them for dear life.
Think of legacy technology like an old, ugly pair of slippers that you can’t bear to part with. They’re comfortable, familiar, and you’ve learnt to live with the holes that have appeared over time, so you don’t even notice them anymore. With legacy tech, every year that passes, you may see a few ‘holes’ appear, but you ‘patch them up’ and it’s business as usual. But here’s the thing: as the years go by, the gap between your business and the advances in technology grows wider, and that’s when the real issues start.
In 2026, legacy tech includes anything still relying on the UK’s analogue copper network. That often means:
On their own, these services may appear harmless, but collectively, they create hidden dependencies. A single copper line might support phones, alarms, and payments; so when that line becomes expensive or unreliable, the impact is far wider than expected.
If you’re not confident which services in your estate still depend on copper, this is exactly the sort of gap our SmartComms Healthcheck is designed to uncover. It’s a short, guided session with a Babble specialist that helps map your current setup, identify hidden legacy dependencies, and outline realistic next steps based on what you actually use today.
One of the biggest misconceptions around legacy technology is that price rises are random or vendor-specific. But this isn’t the case.
To support the nationwide move away from analogue services, Ofcom has removed long-standing price controls on legacy products. This gives providers the freedom to increase prices, which they’re deliberately using to accelerate the migration away from copper-based services.
In practical terms, that means:
The bottom line is that staying on legacy is no longer the “cheap” option. It’s the most expensive way to stand still.
For many organisations, the real issue isn’t the final switch-off date: it’s everything that happens before it.
We’ve all been there, you’re 95% through your big pitch presentation, already able to taste the ice-cold pint patiently waiting for you in the fridge when you’re done. Just as you’re about to wrap it up, the cursor turns into a spinning timer, and proceeds to do so for the next painful 45 minutes. How much would you pay at that point to have tech that’s up to speed?
It’s no secret that legacy systems are only going to continue to get slower, and so will your overall productivity if you continue to use them. There are no upgrades, no new capabilities, and no resilience gains. Yet the monthly cost continues to rise. The businesses that stay on these systems end up paying a premium for technology that’s delivering less value every year.
Even the trustiest of systems will go down from time to time, and when they do, an expert is needed to get things up and running again.
However, as providers retire copper services, support resources shrink:
As termination notices begin to appear and stop sell policies tighten, late movers will effectively be forced into making big switches on tight deadlines (while discovering that everything from their alarm systems to payment devices to fax machines relies on an analogue line). And with the final PSTN switch-off just a year away, businesses looking to be proactive will significantly increase the demand for IP systems. This means limited availability, extended lead times, and businesses will be forced to make rushed decisions (often at a higher cost and with greater risk).
Check out this article to learn how you can make the PSTN switch with minimal downtime.
With so many reasons to update your tech, it’s hard to understand why more businesses don’t make the move sooner. When businesses assume that they’ll face costs, disruption and downtime, most will put off modernising their systems and live with legacy technology for as long as possible. In fact, according to a study we did back in 2021, 70% of the 100 UK IT leaders we spoke to were still clinging on to their legacy devices.
We still constantly hear the same concerns from IT leaders and business owners alike:
These assumptions made sense when legacy services were stable and affordable. But in 2026, they can cause some serious damage.
Check out this article to unpack why telephony and connectivity are strategic assets — not commodities.
Digital migration doesn’t mean ripping everything out overnight. Many organisations move in stages: replacing the riskiest or most expensive services first, while planning for longer-term improvements over time. Doing nothing is still a decision, just one that takes the control away from you.
There’s no single right answer for every business, but there are sensible, low-risk paths forward:
The goal here is continuity first, then improvement.
Check out this article to find out more about PSTN replacement options for SMBs.
The final PSTN switch-off is scheduled for 31 January 2027, but successful migrations need to be well underway long before then.
Organisations that act early:
Those who wait risk paying more for less and making decisions under pressure.
Legacy technology isn’t just ageing; it’s becoming actively expensive and unreliable. The challenge for 2026 isn’t whether change will happen, but whether it happens on your timeline or someone else’s.
At Babble, we work with UK businesses every day to audit legacy estates, uncover hidden dependencies, and build calm, staged migration plans that reduce cost and risk without disrupting operations.
If you want to understand how the legacy price rises affect your organisation — and what your best next step looks like — you can learn more or speak to a specialist for a free, no obligation consultation here.
Taking action now doesn’t mean rushing. It means staying in control.