For the second year running, AFSAT Communications Ltd was awarded the "VSAT Operator Award of the Year" at a gala dinner held during the Satcom Africa 2009 Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. The award was presented by the conference organizer, Terrapinn, during a reception attended by hundreds of senior industry executives.

This was the 12th year of the Satcom Africa conference being held and the second year for the Satcom Stars Awards. The conference which attracts delegates worldwide in the ICT sector focuses on the achievements and development of Telecommunications in Africa.

The SatCom Star Awards recognize companies within the satellite industry that continue to grow satellite-enabled communication services in Africa. At the event the Managing Director Salim Suleman said, "We are honored to receive this prestigious award for the second consecutive year. We look forward to the continued growth of our services, providing our customers with reliable, fast and secure communications and data networking needs."

The criteria for the VSAT Operator of the Year included, number of terminals delivering services, rate of growth, amount of bandwidth deployed, variety of sectors serviced, services available, and lobbying the regulatory environment to protect VSAT frequencies.