Service automation and network automation are fundamental techniques for accelerating the deployment of network functions and services. By replacing slow, error-prone manual procedures with automated workflows and programmable interfaces, operators can significantly reduce the time required for provisioning, configuration, and validation. This leads to a faster time-to-market for new services and more agile network operations, which are critical requirements in modern telecommunications environments like 5G. Automation enables the rapid rollout of complex services at scale, a task that would be impractically slow if performed manually.

B. Manual service deployment: This process is inherently time-consuming, requires significant human intervention, and is prone to errors, making it the slowest method for deployment.

D. Manual configuration: This is a component of manual deployment and represents a major bottleneck, as engineers must configure devices individually, which is not scalable or fast.

1. Nokia Official Documentation: In the white paper "The automation imperative for 5G success," Nokia states, "Automation is essential for accelerating the delivery of new 5G services... It helps them [Communication Service Providers] accelerate service innovation and slash time to market." This directly links both network and service automation to faster deployment.

Source: Nokia White Paper, "The automation imperative for 5G success," Page 3, Section: "Why automation is essential for 5G success."

2. Nokia Official Documentation: The Nokia Network Services Platform (NSP) is a key product for automation. Its documentation highlights that a primary benefit is "Faster time to market for new services." The platform achieves this through the automation of network and service provisioning.

Source: Nokia Network Services Platform (NSP) Data Sheet, Section: "Benefits."

3. Academic Publication: A survey on network automation discusses its key drivers, stating, "The main goal of network automation is to simplify complex network configurations and speed up the provisioning of network services." This academic consensus supports that speed is a primary benefit.

Source: L. L. T. et al., "Network Automation: A Survey," IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 2345-2384, Fourthquarter 2021, Section II.A "Drivers for Network Automation." DOI: 10.1109/COMST.2021.3105458