> which requires real time data transfer (for instance remote surgeries, remote operation of machines by a human operator, etc etc) And when a backhoe destroys

> which requires real time data transfer (for instance remote surgeries, remote operation of machines by a human operator, etc etc) And when a backhoe destroys a fiber line...? Or copper thieves steal cables? Or when an anchor destroys connectivity to yet another country? Datacenter fire takes out the router? AC failure overheats the router? Cosmic ray flips bits? Electrician doing a backup generator / UPS battery upgrade flips the wrong breaker? China posts a bad BGP route? Michael Jackson dies again? Amazon S3 goes down again? Landslides take out cables after earthquake? Windstorm? How many of these scenarios is traffic shaping really going to fix? Not enough to be the camel-breaking straw, IMO. Even the U.S. power grid isn't reliable enough for this kind of thing - e.g. hospitals roll their own generators as a result. As for remote operation - it's already happening with mining trucks, via failsafe robotics (which don't require real time data transfer) and dedicated networks (which can be properly secured against single failure points, and be kept small and separate enough to control and mitigate some of those concerns.)