3:25 PM -- The argument over a fragmenting MPLS-TP standard might have reached a crucial point with a statement issued early this morning by the International Telecommunication Union, Standardization Sector (ITU-T) .

I say "might" because I'm not sure whether the statement changes much. It's a declaration that anything that calls itself "MPLS" or "MPLS-TP" will come from the auspices of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) . Or, to put it another way, the IETF has final say on what goes into those technologies and what doesn't.

The ITU-T put out the statement early this morning, to coincide with the IETF meeting being held in Taipei, Taiwan. here's the relevant part:

Technically, nothing new has happened. The statement describes itself as a reaffirmation of the ITU's practice of not duplicating other standards bodies' work.

The question remains: What does this mean for ITU-T G.8113.1, the proposal that infuses a T-MPLS element into MPLS-TP? (Short summary on ITU-T G.8113.1: Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. likes it; Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) doesn't. See links below.)

Since it didn't spring from an IETF effort, my conclusion was that G.8113.1 is being kicked out of the fold. But an ITU-T spokesman tells me via email that that's not the case. The situation is apparently being negotiated.

Some in the IETF might be hoping differently. A source forwarded us an email, purportedly from Hoursley (IETF) to Johnson (ITU-T), that supposes this could be the end of G.8113.1:

But remember, that's from an unofficial email. Again, the ITU-T is telling us that the official statement does not automatically mean G.8113.1 is no longer considered part of MPLS-TP.

What does it all mean? I think it's a preamble to the next big blowup in the MPLS-TP debate. If you think I'm wrong -- or if you've got news to share out of the Taipei meetings -- do let us know on the message board.

Finally, if you're lost as to what we're talking about here -- it boils down to whether the operations, administration, and management (OAM) for MPLS-TP should be based on the ITU-T Y.1731 recommendation or on Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). Here's a reverse-chronological summary:

— Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading