alized hardware resource pools. This conceptual architecture overcomes the unique challenges presented by the access net- work and allows the access network to enjoy the benefits of NFV and SDN, while also enabling the network cloud architecture and service creation environment to extend from the core all the way to the end of the access network. This architecture described in the previous section has not yet been fully implemented. As with any major new architecture, it will be introduced gradually and opportunistically, and it will evolve over time. Also, the underlying access network technology and standards themselves are continuing to evolve. Over the years, wireline access technologies have evolved from dial-up modems to asym- metric digital subscriber line (ADSL) to very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (VDSL) to GPON. At the same time, wireless technologies have evolved from 2G to 3G to 4G-LTE, and soon, 5G. Furthermore, with the growing evolution toward high-speed small cells requiring fiber access, and the introduction and evolution of fixed wireless access technologies as a substitute for wireline broad- band access, the evolution of wireline and wireless access technologies is beginning to converge. The impact of NFV and SDN on access network architecture results in a complex multidimen- sional evolution roadmap. The rest of this chapter will outline how the onset of NFV and SDN and Switching Switching Compute Compute Compute Resources Resources Resources Switching Storage Storage Storage Compute Resources Resources Resources Resources Resources Resources Specialized Resources Resources Distributed HW type 2 Distributed Specialized Specialized Small AIC Node HW type 2 HW type 2 Small AIC Node Large Centralized AIC Node FIGURE 11.2 Extending AIC to access. Network Access implementation of network cloud can converge the introduction of the ONAP access architecture with the ongoing technology evolution roadmap for advanced wireline access and advanced mobile wireless access. 11.4 WIRELINE ACCESS TEC