 aware of approaching problems or degradations to service. The impact analysis in event monitor- ing systems can be extended to predict the likely impact of service degrada- tions on specific customers and map the cause to and appropriate network resources. Event monitoring systems can also be programmed to perform specific actions when a service level event occurs. For example when an event on possible service failure is generated, the event monitoring system can be programmed to notify the appropriate operator to take corrective action. Management Applications Rule-based event handling is a popular method of service operation support automation. Service rating and discounting management: These applications calculate the customer specific charges and apply discounts in coming up with the final bill. It collects billings records, formats the information in the records, identi- fies usage, and applies the rate for the service consumed by the customer. Rating applications should be able to support different payment models and rate plans. Threshold setting and planning can also be performed using service rating and discounting applications. Predefined thresholds can be set on a user's spending limit and notifications generated when charges reach a specific percentage of the spending limit. IP-based services have a differ- ent rating model compared to normal voice based services. Current rating solutions are expected to integrate with existing network environments and enhance the framework to support real-time rating capabilities of complex and converged service offerings. 62. Planning management: Every telecom company has a set of product and ser- vice planning activities that can lead to change. Planning management solu- tions are used to handle planning operations and change management. These solutions provide the necessary orchestration between planning duties and network engineering activities. It maintains work flows for proper execution of planned activities. Planning solutions interface with financial control