Finland's communications minister, Suvi Linden, has thrown her weight behind Nokia Siemens in a dispute over India's controversial escrow rules for foreign telecom vendors.
In a visit to New Delhi, Linden slammed as “impossible” the Indian government's proposal to force vendors to share their source codes with security agencies, the DeccanChroniclesaid.
She said the government's desire to ensure the security of the nation's telecom networks was understandable, but warned against measures that made it too difficult for international vendors to operate in the market.
NSN's Indian unit has lost business over the last six months as a result of the proposed rules, and would be financially affected, she added.
In a statement to Bloomberg, NSN on Friday repeated its position that any demand to share its source codes and design documents is “unacceptable.”