Convergence between wireline and wireless networks is one of those ideas that feels like it’s perpetually on the horizon. When the industry took a crack at convergence about 10 years ago, the necessary puzzle pieces just weren’t in place. The big difference now is that everything but the core – the devices, the protocols – is IP-based. Experts told Fierce that a perfect storm of industry trends – virtualisation, disaggregation, 5G, fibre, cloudification – have finally come together to bring the long-sought after approach within reach.