.13 Conclusion The functions of service provisioning and activation lie between services and configu- ration management. Provisioning a service involves sending commands to network devices so that certain network functionality is invoked. Activation involves sending commands such that the appropriate network elements begin to act in concert mak- ing a service available to a customer. The many different products touched upon in this chapter hint at the wide variety of approaches and emphases in carrying out the basic steps involved in service provisioning. Because the services that are available are so various, there has been plenty of room for OSS vendors to differentiate them- selves by appealing to particular needs and problems of telecom service providers. OSS vendors are also educated by their customers, who are service providers. Different service providers have different "must haves" and so the functionality of different OSS products is seen to show different emphases. As services become more complex while lifespan decreases, service provisioning OSS must become richer in functionality. This is because service provisioning and activation software will become important in ensuring that service providers are not limited in implementing the precise service specifications that are needed to generate revenue. Northbound interfaces will also become more important as mar- keting, sales and business support software will be plugged in for maximum automa- tion in the entire product lifecycle. At the same time, vendors of service provisioning and activation software will have their hands full in ensuring that their southbound interfaces cater to the increasing functionality and complexity of network devices, although this will be aided by the increasing intelligence in network elements. Implementing Service Level Management 7.1 Introduction Service level management (SLM) is the managing of various phases in the entire lifecycle of a telecom service. SLM is also sometimes referred to as total service level management.