From the core to edge of the network, virtualization has become integral to managing complexity, reducing costs, and creating new opportunities. But that doesn’t mean it should be applied to everything. This is particularly true in the access network where the proximity to end-users and devices is critical for meeting high-bandwidth, mission-critical and latency sensitive applications. Software-defined access networks provide the balance needed between physical network functionality hosted close to the end user for performance and non-real-time functions such as control and service layers centralized on flexible software-defined architectures based on general-purpose computers. In this paper, we examine the possibilities for transformation at the edge and the role of virtualization as convergence between fixed and mobile networks gathers pace.