Telstra (ASX:TLS) has flagged plans to spend $600 million on a five-year plan to further develop its presence in the small business market with the launch of Digital Business.

A recent Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study estimated that, by 2016, the digital economy will contribute 5.5 per cent or $US4.2 trillion dollars to the economies of the G20 countries (from $US2.3 trillion in 2010). The digital economy contributed $US44bn (3.3 per cent of GDP) to the overall Australian economy in 2010 and is expected to grow to $US67bn by 2016.