Rajeev Suri fired a warning to European governments considering stricter security rules following scrutiny of Chinese vendor Huawei, cautioning more red tape could delay 5G rollouts and increase costs for the whole industry.

Speaking to Financial Times, Nokia’s CEO appeared to suggest he opposed a fragmented approach to security, as governments across the world consider cracking down on Huawei due to allegations it uses its equipment to spy for the Chinese state.

As one of Huawei’s major rivals, a clampdown on Huawei could benefit Nokia, but Suri suggested he was more concerned the issue could have a wider impact to the industry.

“I am not sure that certifying products country-by-country is going to get us anywhere,” he said, pointing out 5G will run on software and require more updates, meaning stricter regulation could have a major impact.

Suri said the industry should look to avoid “a cumbersome process” involving more cost in the supply chain.

“Let’s be careful. No more red tape, no more bureaucracy and no more extra cost,” he added.

Suri’s comments come days after Nokia CTO Marcus Weldon told BBC News in an explosive interview that the UK should be wary of using Huawei’s equipment.

Nokia swiftly moved to distance itself away from the comments, stating they did not reflect its official position.