The Next Generation Optical Networking Conference (NGON) returned to the Cote d’Azur this year after a two-year pandemic hiatus and last year’s event in Barcelona. The show revisited many themes and announcements from March’s 2023 OFC conference. However, without the attendance of hyperscale operators, the messages had a different color to them, reflecting the nature of the heavily regulated, fragmented, and nationalized service provider landscape in Europe and the Middle East. Additionally, the participation of Chinese equipment vendors Huawei and ZTE, which were not at OFC, provided a perspective and portfolio differing in many ways from those of Western vendors.

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