A method for orchestrating the use of at least one communications network for conveying a plurality of data streams transmitted by a plurality of applications, comprising the steps of: • attributing, to individual data streams and/or to groups of data streams, levels (31a-36a) of importance; • determining, based at least in part on the levels (31a-36a) of importance and on network capacity requirements (31b-36b) of the data streams, an ordered list of data streams to be curtailed or stopped in case of a shortage of bandwidth in the communications network; and • providing this ordered list to a network management entity that is configured to: ∘ monitor the available bandwidth in the communications network; ∘ compare the available bandwidth to a combined bandwidth requirement of all data streams currently being transmitted; and ∘ in response to determining that the available bandwidth is, or is imminent to become, less than the combined bandwidth requirement, curtail or stop data streams in the order given by the list, so as to bring the combined bandwidth requirement back to or below the available bandwidth, wherein the applications transmitting the data streams participate in the operation of an industrial plant, and/or in the execution of at least one production process on this industrial plant, and the levels of importance are attributed to data streams, and/or groups of data streams, based at least in part on the importance of these data streams for the operation of the plant, and/or for the execution of the process, and wherein: • at least one data stream comprises a critical video data stream that is, at least in a degraded form, required for continuing operation of the plant, and/or execution of the process, and the critical video data stream is a live video stream that monitors the execution of the process or is analyzed to assess quality or quality issues of the manufactured product; and/or • at least one data stream comprises measurement values of a process quantity, and the curtailing of this data stream comprises extending the interval at which new measurement values of the process quantity are transmitted; and/or • at least one data stream with measurement values of a first process quantity is classified as a non-negotiable data stream that is not to be curtailed or stopped, at least one data stream with measurement values of a second process quantity is classified as a scalable data stream that may be curtailed up to a given extent, and during execution of the process, the first process quantity varies on a faster time scale than the second process quantity. • attributing, to individual data streams and/or to groups of data streams, levels (31a-36a) of importance; • determining, based at least in part on the levels (31a-36a) of importance and on network capacity requirements (31b-36b) of the data streams, an ordered list of data streams to be curtailed or stopped in case of a shortage of bandwidth in the communications network; and • providing this ordered list to a network management entity that is configured to: ∘ monitor the available bandwidth in the communications network; ∘ compare the available bandwidth to a combined bandwidth requirement of all data streams currently being transmitted; and ∘ in response to determining that the available bandwidth is, or is imminent to become, less than the combined bandwidth requirement, curtail or stop data streams in the order given by the list, so as to bring the combined bandwidth requirement back to or below the available bandwidth, ∘ monitor the available bandwidth in the communications network; ∘ compare the available bandwidth to a combined bandwidth requirement of all data streams currently being transmitted; and ∘ in response to determining that the available bandwidth is, or is imminent to become, less than the combined bandwidth requirement, curtail or stop data streams in the order given by the list, so as to bring the combined bandwidth requirement back to or below the available bandwidth, • at least one data stream comprises a critical video data stream that is, at least in a degraded form, required for continuing operation of the plant, and/or execution of the process, and the critical video data stream is a live video stream that monitors the execution of the process or is analyzed to assess quality or quality issues of the manufactured product; and/or • at least one data stream comprises measurement values of a process quantity, and the curtailing of this data stream comprises extending the interval at which new measurement values of the process quantity are transmitted; and/or • at least one data stream with measurement values of a first process quantity is classified as a non-negotiable data stream that is not to be curtailed or stopped, at least one data stream with measurement values of a second process quantity is classified as a scalable data stream that may be curtailed up to a given extent, and during execution of the process, the first process quantity varies on a faster time scale than the second process quantity.