Elon Musk’s internet company, Starlink, is establishing ground stations across Nigeria in a strategic effort to improve connectivity within the country.
An insider familiar with the project revealed that these facilities will be constructed on approximately 29,000 acres of land spread across three states.
The ground stations are set to be located in Okun Ajah, Lagos State; Sagamu, Ogun State; and Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Reliable sources, who requested anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak publicly, confirmed that Starlink is partnering with Equinix, a leader in data center solutions, to build these ground stations. Equinix entered the Nigerian market in 2022 by acquiring MainOne in a $320 million deal.
Construction has already begun in Okun Ajah, Lagos State, with completion expected by Q4 2024. The other sites are projected to be operational by 2025.
While financial details of the investment remain undisclosed, the scale of the project highlights Starlink’s commitment to strengthening its presence in Nigeria as it expands its global network.
Starlink describes a ground station, or gateway, as a terrestrial relay station that communicates with Starlink satellites orbiting the Earth. These stations are vital for data transmission between satellites and the internet backbone on the ground. They serve as intermediaries, relaying data from satellites to the internet networks and vice versa.
According to SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, the network operates about 150 ground stations worldwide, playing a crucial role in connecting Starlink satellites with internet data centers on the ground. These data centers link to existing fiber-optic infrastructures and transmit data to Starlink satellites in Low Earth Orbit.
