14 October 2015 Wednesday Organized by B20 Turkey and Accenture, the B20 Turkey Digital Economy Forum was held in İstanbul with the attendances of B20 Turkey and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Feridun Bilgin, TÜSİAD Chair Cansen Başaran-Symes, TİM Chair Mehmet Büyükekşi as well as the prominent organizations of the sector. Speaking at the opening of the Forum, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they would lay digital economy on the table, previously discussed under B20. Stating that a business life without the internet has become unthinkable, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, ?In the future, it is projected that internet economy in just the G20 countries will annually increase by an average of 8%. If internet economy were a state economy it would be the fifth in the world. It would have a growth rate higher than that of China. If the internet were to be considered as a separate sector, it would exceed the weight of agriculture and services sectors in the global GDP. Ten years ago, approximately 1 billion people were internet users. Today, the number has reached 3 billion. In less than 5 years, this number will reach 4 billion.? Drawing attention to the fact that more than half the global population has no access to the internet Hisarcıklıoğlu said, ?This figure equates to 4.2 billion people. Internet access in Africa is only 13%. Developing countries, which are the focus of G20?s current term, are expected to have less than 10% access across the board by the end of this year.? - ?The most dangerous precipice exists for SMEs? Emphasizing that doing business on the internet requires new skills, the TOBB President said that the internet, while bringing new opportunities, also forms new precipices and that the most dangerous precipice exists for SMEs. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that growth for SMEs is built on investments aimed at innovation and this is possible through the effective use of digital technologies ? that the SMEs which are unable to make effective use of these technologies will be left behind. Stating that restructuring is underway for not just SMEs but the whole industry sector, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, ?The world is undergoing a new industrial revolution. Germany is calling in Industry 4.0 while the US prefers the Second Machine Age, or, as we are using it today: the Third Wave, the Third Industrial Revolution. Whatever we choose to call it, we are living in a time in which industry will be reshaped information and communication technologies. The first Industrial Revolution began with harnessing steam power. The second Industrial Revolution took place with transitioning to mass production under the auspices of Henry Ford. The third wave is brought on by the developments in information and communication technologies. Replacing human workers in factories with robots, communication between machines and the widespread use of 3D printing technology as well as planning production processes with information technologies has changed the rules of competition. Countries which were late to the transitions of the first and second Industrial Revolutions must catch up to this new age in order to prosper. Otherwise, the gap between developing and developed countries will not only not be diminished, it will grow.? Stating that digital economy has brought about a new revolution, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that those who act fast will be the ones to profit from this process.