A method comprising: assigning a ring identifier to a multi-protocol label switching, MPLS, ring and assigning an index to each of a plurality of routers that form the MPLS ring in a ring network, wherein the index indicates a position around the MPLS ring for the respective router; outputting, from each of the routers, messages announcing membership in the MPLS ring and the indexed position around the ring for the respective router; selecting, at each of the routers, a downstream neighbor and an upstream neighbor for the MPLS ring based on the index of each of the routers; establishing, with the plurality of routers (R, 80) a plurality of ring label switched paths, LSPs, for the MPLS ring, each of the ring LSPs configured to transport MPLS packets around the ring network to a different one of the routers operating as an egress router for the respective ring LSP, wherein each of the ring LSPs comprises a multipoint-to-point, MP2P, LSP for which any of the routers within the ring network can operate as an ingress to source packet traffic into the ring LSP for transport to the respective egress router for the ring LSP, wherein establishing the plurality of ring LSPs comprises outputting, with the plurality of routers, a plurality of messages in accordance with a label distribution protocol, and wherein, for each of the ring LSPs, each of the messages output by each of the routers includes the ring identifier of the MPLS ring and the index for the respective one of the plurality of routers that operates as the egress for the ring LSP; and forwarding network traffic as MPLS packets around the ring network in accordance with the ring LSPs. assigning a ring identifier to a multi-protocol label switching, MPLS, ring and assigning an index to each of a plurality of routers that form the MPLS ring in a ring network, wherein the index indicates a position around the MPLS ring for the respective router; outputting, from each of the routers, messages announcing membership in the MPLS ring and the indexed position around the ring for the respective router; selecting, at each of the routers, a downstream neighbor and an upstream neighbor for the MPLS ring based on the index of each of the routers; establishing, with the plurality of routers (R, 80) a plurality of ring label switched paths, LSPs, for the MPLS ring, each of the ring LSPs configured to transport MPLS packets around the ring network to a different one of the routers operating as an egress router for the respective ring LSP, wherein each of the ring LSPs comprises a multipoint-to-point, MP2P, LSP for which any of the routers within the ring network can operate as an ingress to source packet traffic into the ring LSP for transport to the respective egress router for the ring LSP, wherein establishing the plurality of ring LSPs comprises outputting, with the plurality of routers, a plurality of messages in accordance with a label distribution protocol, and wherein, for each of the ring LSPs, each of the messages output by each of the routers includes the ring identifier of the MPLS ring and the index for the respective one of the plurality of routers that operates as the egress for the ring LSP; and forwarding network traffic as MPLS packets around the ring network in accordance with the ring LSPs.