In 2009 a homing pigeon named Winston carrying a 4 GB memory stick beat a South African ADSL connection in a data transfer test, highlighting that for certain distances and payloads physical transport can outpace slow broadband.
The race explained
An IT company in Durban challenged the national ADSL service by sending a 4 GB flash drive with a carrier pigeon from Howick to Durban while simultaneously attempting to transfer the same data over the internet; the pigeon completed the trip and delivery faster than the broadband upload/download sequence, producing a memorable demonstration of practical bandwidth limitations.
Why it mattered
The stunt underscored real‑world constraints on network performance such as limited upload speeds, latency and contention, and served as a humorous but effective critique of local infrastructure while reminding engineers that physical media still have a role in moving large volumes of data when networks are congested or slow.
Technical lessons
Comparing throughput of networks to the effective data rate of physical transport involves measuring the total time to move a payload end to end; for a single large file over moderate distance, the latency of initializing transfers and low upstream bandwidth can make bulk carriage on storage devices surprisingly competitive in terms of raw bytes per second.
Legacy and culture
Winston’s victory became an oft‑cited anecdote in networking and bandwidth discussions, inspiring later experiments and thought pieces on whether physical transport (\"sneakernet\") can sometimes outperform electronic links for bulk transfer, while also serving as a lighthearted reminder that technology choices depend on context and constraints.
Quick related facts
- Date: 2009.
- Payload: 4 GB memory stick.
- Route: Howick to Durban, South Africa.
- Result: pigeon delivered the data faster than the tested ADSL service.