The Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable system, which was initially planned to stretch from France to Gabon, will now be extended to South Africa connecting all countries along the West coast of Africa, from Morocco to South Africa. A statement from France Telecom said this new cable will provide broadband interconnection to the global telecommunications network to more than 25 countries in Africa and Western Europe. The ACE consortium currently comprises seventeen telecommunications operators, of which several are subsidiairies of France Telecom/Orange.