<PAGE>   1





                                                       Registration No. 333-____
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                         MULTIMEDIA ACCESS CORPORATION
                        (Name of issuer in its charter)

                  ----------------------------------------

           Delaware                                      75-2528700
           --------                                      ----------
    (State or Other Jurisdiction                        (IRS Employer
of Incorporation or Organization)                     Identification Number)

           2665 VILLA CREEK DRIVE, SUITE 200, DALLAS, TEXAS     75234
                                  214-488-7200

                 (Address of principal executive offices and
                   place of business and telephone number)

                  ----------------------------------------

                         MULTIMEDIA ACCESS CORPORATION
                          EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

                                 GLENN A. NOREM
                            CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                         MULTIMEDIA ACCESS CORPORATION
           2665 VILLA CREEK DRIVE, SUITE 200, DALLAS, TEXAS     75234
                                  214-488-7200

           (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                  ----------------------------------------

                                   Copies to:

                            John S. Stoppelman, Esq.
                         The Stoppelman Law Firm, P.C.
                        1749 Old Meadow Road, Suite 610
                          McLean, Virginia  22102-4310
                           Telephone:  (703) 827-7450
                           Telecopier: (703) 827-7455      

                  ----------------------------------------

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
==========================================================================================================================
         Title of each class  of                                 Maximum              Maximum             Amount of
            securities to be              Amount to be        offering price          aggregate         registration
              registered                   registered            per Share          offering price          fee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                     <C>                     <C>                 <C>                    <C>
Common Stock                            250,000 (a)             $3.4375(b)          $859,375(b)            $260(b)
==========================================================================================================================
</TABLE>

(a)        If, prior to the completion of the distribution of the Common Stock
           covered by this registration statement, additional shares of such
           Common Stock are issued or issuable as a result of a stock split or
           stock dividend, this registration statement shall be deemed to cover
           such additional shares resulting from the stock split or stock
           dividend pursuant to Rule 416.

(b)        The price per share was estimated in accordance with Rule 457 (c)
           and (h) for purposes of calculating the registration fee based upon
           the average of the high and the low sales prices of the Registrant's
           Common Stock on May 19, 1998, as reported on the Nasdaq SmallCap
           Market.
<PAGE>   2

                                    Part II

              Information Required in the Registration Statement

Item 3           Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed by the Company with the Commission are
incorporated herein by reference.

     (a)    The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 1997 (File No. 0-29020) is hereby incorporated herein by
reference.

     (b)    The description of the Company's Common Stock as contained in the
Company's Registration Statement on Form SB-2 dated February 4, 1997

     All reports and other documents filed by the Company pursuant to Section
13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the "Securities Act"), subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement
and prior to the termination of the offering made by the Registration Statement
shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein.  Any statement
contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference
herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this
Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in
any other subsequently filed document which also is incorporated or deemed to
be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.  Any
such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so
modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.



Item 5.          Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

The Stoppelman Law Firm, P.C., counsel to the Company, owns 26,666 shares of
Common Stock of the Company, or less than one percent (1.0%) of the shares
outstanding.



Item 6.          Indemnification of Directors and Officers

     Articles Seven and Ten of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation,
contain the following provisions with respect to indemnification of Directors
and Officers:

     SEVENTH.  The Corporation shall, to the fullest extent permitted by
Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as the
same may be amended and supplemented, indemnify any and all persons whom it
shall have power to indemnify under said section from and against any and all
of the expenses, liabilities or other matters referred to in or covered by said
section, and the indemnification provided for herein shall not be deemed
exclusive of any other rights to which those indemnified may be entitled under
any By-Law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested Directors or
otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in
another capacity while holding such office, and shall continue as to a person
who has ceased to be director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to
the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

     TENTH.  To the fullest extent permitted by Delaware General Corporation
Law, a director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the
Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary
duty as a director.  Neither any amendment nor repeal of this Article, nor the
adopting of any provision of this Certificate of Incorporation inconsistent
with this Article shall eliminate or reduce the effect of this Article in
respect of any matter occurring, or any cause of action, suit or claim that,
but
<PAGE>   3
for this Article would accrue or arise, prior to such amendment, repeal or
adoption of an inconsistent provision.

     Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
contains provisions entitling directors and officers of the Company to
indemnification from judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and
reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, as the result of an action or
proceeding in which they may be involved by reason of being or having been a
director or officer of the Company provided said officers or directors acted in
good faith.

     The Company has also entered into indemnification agreements with Messrs.
Norem, Leftwich, Colquhoun, Stoner, Oakes, Jobe, Culp, Johnson, Sterling and
Bernardi which provide for the indemnification of said officers and directors
(former directors in the case of Messrs. Sterling, Bernardi and Oakes) to the
fullest extent allowable under the laws of the State of Delaware.



Item 8.          Exhibits.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exhibit
Number
------
   <S>           <C>                                     
    5            Opinion of The Stoppelman Law Firm, P.C.

   10            Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1)

   23            Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

   23a           Consent of The Stoppelman Law Firm, P.C. (contained in 
                 opinion filed as Exhibit 5).

   24            Powers of Attorney.
</TABLE>

            (1)  Incorporated by reference to the Registration Statement on
                 Form SB-2 and all amendments thereto as declared effective on
                 February 4, 1997.


Item 9.          Undertakings.

     (a)         The undersigned Company hereby undertakes:

                 (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
                      being made, a post-effective amendment to this
                      Registration Statement to: (i) Include any prospectus
                      required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; (ii)
                      Reflect in the prospectus any facts or events which,
                      individually or together, represent a fundamental change
                      in the information in the registration statement and;
                      (iii) Include any additional or changed material
                      information on the plan of distribution.

                 (2)  For determining liability under the Securities Act, treat
                      each post-effective amendment as a new registration
                      statement of the securities offered, and the Offering of
                      the securities at that time to be the initial bona fide
                      offering.

                 (3)  File a post-effective amendment to remove from
                      registration any of the securities that remain unsold at
                      the end of the offering.

     (b)         Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
                 Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") may be permitted
                 to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
<PAGE>   4
                 small business issuer pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or
                 otherwise, the small business issuer has been advised that in
                 the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such
                 indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
                 Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

                 In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
                 liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of
                 expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or
                 controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense
                 of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
                 director, officer or controlling person in connection with the
                 securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in
                 the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by
                 controlling precedent, submit to a court or appropriate
                 jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it
                 is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act
                 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
<PAGE>   5


                                   SIGNATURES

 Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant certifies
that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements
for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement or
amendment thereto to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Dallas and State of Texas, on the 19th day of May
1998

                                        Multimedia Access Corporation

                                        By: /s/ William S. Leftwich
                                            -----------------------------------
                                            William S. Leftwich 
                                            Chief Financial Officer

  KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENT, that each person whose signature appears below
constitutes and appoints William S.  Leftwich, his true and lawful
attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution,
for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign
any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this
registration statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and
authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary
to be done in and about the premises, as full to all intents and purposes as he
might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said
attorney-in-fact and agent or either of them or their or his substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration
statement or amendment thereto has been signed below by the following persons
in the capacities and on the date indicated.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SIGNATURE                                  TITLE                    DATE
---------                                  -----                    ----
<S>                                   <C>                           <C>    
                                      Chief Executive Officer
/s/  Glenn A. Norem                   and Director                  May 19, 1998
------------------------------                                                  
Glenn A. Norem


/s/ William S. Leftwich               Chief Financial Officer       May 19, 1998
------------------------------                                                  
William S. Leftwich


/s/ William D. Jobe                   Director                      May 19, 1998
------------------------------                                                  
William D. Jobe


/s/ Joe C. Culp                       Director                      May 19, 1998
------------------------------                                                  
Joe C. Culp


/s/ William E. Johnson                Director                      May 19, 1998
------------------------------                                                  
William E. Johnson
</TABLE>

<PAGE>   6
                               Index of Exhibits


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exhibit
Number
------
   <S>           <C>
    5            Opinion of The Stoppelman Law Firm, P.C.

   10            Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1)

   23            Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

   23a           Consent of The Stoppelman Law Firm, P.C. (included in Exhibit 5).

   24            Powers of Attorney (included on signature page).
</TABLE>


(1)     Incorporated by reference to the Registration Statement on Form SB-2
        and all amendments thereto as declared effective on February 4, 1997.