The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Galaxy Space, a Chinese company, to deploy Direct-to-Device satellite communication connectivity for Nigerians.

Galaxy Space is a Chinese company focused on developing and manufacturing low-cost and mass production of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for commercial broadband internet.

Matthew Adepoju, director-general of NASRDA, said at the signing ceremony on Wednesday in Abuja that the collaboration was a milestone in Nigeria’s drive towards advancing space and communication technologies.

Mt Adepoju said the collaboration would revolutionise the telecommunications sector by enabling devices to stay connected directly to satellites without relying on terrestrial infrastructure.

“We have been discussing advances in space technology, particularly in the communications sector and today direct-to-device communication is a reality. Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind.

“What this means is that you do not need the telephone mast before you make your calls; before you exchange data; before you do anything anymore.

“The network will be from the satellite directly to your handset, to your laptop, to your workstation and we are looking forward to full deployment before the end of this year,” Mr Adepoju said.

He said the deployment of the technology would eliminate  poor network coverage, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

He urged stakeholders in the public and private sectors, including the banking industry, ministries and agencies, to support the initiative and deployment of space-based technologies in the country.

Other benefits from the collaboration, he said, included capacity building, technology transfer to Nigerian engineers on how to domesticate and deploy the technology.

“It is no longer acceptable that we must import every single device we need. The time has come for us to produce our own technologies here at home,” he said.

Sam Xiao, an official of Galaxy Space, said Nigeria, being the leading space agency in Africa, could serve as a window to deploy the technology to the rest of Africa.

Mr Xiao also proposed partnership with NASRDA to build a CubeSat, fit for purpose, whereby Nigerian engineers would be trained, be part of its development and in charge of its operations.

According to him, the collaboration can enable Nigeria to leverage the technology ahead of other countries in Africa.

CubeSats are tiny box-shaped satellites that are mainly launched into LEO to observe the Earth and test new communications technologies and perform miniature experiments.

D2D technology, in the context of satellite communication, refers  to the ability of standard smartphones or devices to communicate directly with satellites without needing intermediary ground-based infrastructure like cell towers. 

(NAN)