Elon Musk’s internet venture, Starlink, is expanding its operations in Nigeria by establishing ground stations to improve connectivity throughout the country.
The company plans to set up these stations on roughly 29,000 acres of land across three states: Lagos, Ogun, and Rivers.
The stations will be strategically located in Okun Ajah (Lagos State), Sagamu (Ogun State), and Port Harcourt (Rivers State).
Starlink is collaborating with Equinix, a prominent data center provider, which entered the Nigerian market in 2022 through the acquisition of MainOne in a $320 million deal.
Construction is already underway in Okun Ajah, with completion expected by late 2024. The other sites are anticipated to be operational by 2025.
While the financial details of the project are not publicly available, it highlights Starlink’s commitment to establishing a strong presence in Nigeria and expanding its global network.
Ground stations, or gateways, are crucial as they link Starlink’s satellites with the internet infrastructure on Earth, facilitating data transmission between satellites and internet networks.
Starlink currently operates around 150 such stations worldwide, and these new stations will help bypass international data centers, potentially reducing latency and improving internet service quality in Nigeria.
This development is set to enhance internet connectivity in Nigeria, which has traditionally faced delays and inefficiencies due to reliance on international data centers. Starlink’s presence, which began in 2022 with an ISP license from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has quickly gained traction.
By Q1 2024, Starlink had become the third-largest ISP in Nigeria, behind only Spectranet and FibreOne, despite its higher costs compared to local competitors.
