**1. Introduction**

In 2016, the digital economy worldwide was worth US\$11.5 trillion, or 15.5 percent of global GDP. The outstanding performance of the digital economy is mainly attributable to the development of a consumer-driven Internet. By 2025, the industrial Internet is predicted to experience massive growth, with industries across the board seeing high levels of digitalization and intelligence. By then, the digital economy is expected to grow further, to 24.3 percent of global GDP. This rise, even taking into account the fact that the value of digital offerings is underrepresented in GDP figures [1], if it happens will come about largely through innovation. The digital economy, and particularly its service elements, in this sense is the fastest changing sector the world has ever seen.
