Pigeon transfers data faster than South Africa's Telkom ![[Linked Image]](http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090909&t=2&i=11529641&w=192&r=2009-09-09T195437Z_01_BTRE5881JAU00_RTROPTP_0_USA.jpg)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African information technology company on Wednesday proved it was faster for them to transmit data with a carrier pigeon than to send it using Telkom , the country's leading internet service provider.
Internet speed and connectivity in Africa's largest economy are poor because of a bandwidth shortage. It is also expensive.
Local news agency SAPA reported the 11-month-old pigeon, Winston, took one hour and eight minutes to fly the 80 km (50 miles) from Unlimited IT's offices near Pietermaritzburg to the coastal city of Durban with a data card was strapped to his leg.
Including downloading, the transfer took two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds -- the time it took for only four percent of the data to be transferred using a Telkom line.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE5885PM20090909