IDC expects carriers that deploy intelligence closer to the edge will have more advantages to penetrate this market than those that go for a simple and cost-effective edge network. The challenge over the next five years is to deploy an intelligent network at a cost-effective price so that new services can contribute to carrier profits and not eat into them. IDC believes Ericsson is well placed to meet these demands with the SM 480 and SmartEdge platforms, both of which support multiple applications in compact and cost-effective manners.