Legacy telecoms price increases

What's Changing

During 2026, suppliers have introduced a series of price increases affecting legacy telecoms services.

The increases scheduled during 2026 are as follows:

• 1 February: +25% increase
• 1 April: +25% additional increase
• 1 July: +40% additional increase
• 1 November: +40% additional increase

By the end of 2026, the cumulative effect of these increases means the cost of remaining on legacy services will have risen by over 200%.

These increases are supplier-led and industry-wide, reflecting the planned withdrawal of the PSTN copper network ahead of the national switch-off on 31 January 2027. This is not a discretionary price rise by Babble. Similar changes are being introduced across the telecoms market as providers prepare for the retirement of legacy networks.

Importantly, these may not be the final pricing pressure on legacy services. Providers have been clear that pricing will continue to be used as a lever to accelerate migration away from copper-based technology.

Why is this happening now?

The UK PSTN switch-off is scheduled for 31 January 2027. After this date, analogue copper-based services will no longer be supported.

To support this transition during 2026:

• Wholesale and network providers are removing pricing regulation
• Legacy services are becoming more expensive to maintain
• Price increases are being used to reinforce the need to migrate

Some providers have already begun issuing termination notices for certain legacy services.

What do we mean by “legacy” technology?

In this context, legacy technology refers to older services delivered over copper infrastructure that are being phased out nationally, including:

• WLR line rental and ISDN services (ISDN2 / ISDN30)
• PSTN single analogue lines
• ADSL and older FTTC broadband variants
• Analogue services used for alarms, lifts, fax and PDQ

If you’re unsure whether this applies to your services, please contact our Customer Experience team at customerexperience@babble.cloud who can confirm this for you. You may well find that impacted products are called different things on your invoice depending on the provider. These would include terms such as Broadband, Business, Single Line or Analogue.

Will my service stop working?

There is no immediate change to how your services works as a result of these price increases.

However, as legacy services approach withdrawal, suppliers will reduce investment and support. Over time, this increases the risk of faults, delays, or service termination if alternatives are not put in place. You will need to have taken action in the next few months to ensure you can be confident of avoiding negative impacts.

Will this be the only price increase?

No. Several increases during 2026 have already been announced, with the cumulative effect expected to push the cost of remaining on legacy services to over 200% higher by the end of the year.

Network providers have been clear that pricing will continue to be used as a lever to encourage migration away from legacy copper-based services ahead of the PSTN switch-off on 31 January 2027.

For customers who remain on legacy technology, further pricing pressure is likely as the industry continues to accelerate the move to modern digital networks.

How this relates to Babble’s regular price reviews

We recognise that this increase sits outside our normal annual pricing cycle. This change is being driven by supplier cost increases linked to the withdrawal of legacy services, and unfortunately these costs cannot be absorbed.

Pricing for modern, non-legacy services continues to be reviewed regularly as part of our standard process. These reviews are separate from, and not driven by, the retirement of legacy technology referenced above.

In line with industry practice, customers may therefore see changes to pricing on non-legacy services during 2026 following our usual review process.

What options do you have?

You do have choices.

You can remain on legacy services in the short-term, in which case:

• The 25% increase will apply from February 2026 and the next one is set for April 2026
• Further increases have already been announced for later in the year
• Long-term support and service continuity cannot be guaranteed

However you will need to have taken action in the coming months to ensure service continuity.

The strong recommendation is to move to modern, digital services designed for long-term use at the earliest opportunity. These typically offer:

• Greater reliability and resilience
• Better performance and scalability
• More predictable pricing
• Compatibility with cloud and modern applications

As the 2027 PSTN switch-off approaches, demand for migrations is increasing and lead times are expected to lengthen later in the year, leaving customers exposed to service termination.

What do we typically recommend?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but in most cases we recommend moving to IP-based services supported by full-fibre connectivity.

For the majority of customers, this means:

• Unified Communications or SIP-based voice
• FTTP or Ethernet leased line connectivity
• A minimum data speed of 100Mbps, where available

Some customers may need to move in stages (for example, replacing voice services first and connectivity later). Your Account Manager will help plan the right approach based on your current setup and location.

Common scenarios and typical next steps

What should I do next?

If you’re using legacy services, the most important thing is to review your position early. Waiting increases cost and reduces flexibility.

If you know the name of your Account Manager contact them directly. Otherwise, reach out to Customer Experience to discuss what this means for your services and outline your options.

There are three ways to contact Customer Experience:

1. Fill out the Request a Call Back form at the top of the page

2. Email customerexperience@babble.cloud.

3. Call 0800 440 2959 (choose Option 5)