The size of the information and communications technology sector grew by 12.1 percent last year when measured in Turkish lira, reaching TL 69.4 billion ($26.6 million).According to the "Information and Communications Technology Sector Market Data for 2014," which was released by the Informatics Industry Association (TÜBİSAD), the sector has consistently maintained its double-digit growth performance. The sector contributes significantly to Turkey's economy, providing jobs for 103,000 people and bringing an export revenue of TL 1.34 billion. TÜBİSAD Chairman Kemal Cılız said that in 2014, the overall course of the global economy, movements in foreign exchange rates, local dynamics and regulations regarding consumer financing affected all sectors, as well as the information and communications technology sector. The sector continued to grow in this environment, said Cılız, adding that thanks to its own growth and the use of technology, which brought added value, the sector made a positive and direct contribution to Turkey's economic performance. According to Cılız, it is pleasing that the growth, which is based on technology production, information technologies and innovation, has become one of the priorities of economic policy in Turkey, which aims to achieve economic growth resistant to global crises.Communication technologies and information technologies constituted TL 48.9 billion and TL 20.4 billion of the total sector size respectively. When compared to 2013, the highest growth of 12.3 percent was achieved in the software and hardware categories of information technologies. Thus, the share of the software sector in total information technologies reached around 30 percent. The total exports of the sector reached TL 1.34 billion, TL 800 million of which came from software. Thus, 12.7 percent of the software's turnover was derived from exports. Azerbaijan, Germany, Turkmenistan, the U.S., the Netherlands and the U.K. are where the sector carries out the greatest volume of exports respectively. The sector is expected to grow between 11 and 15 percent in 2015. Research and development investments, innovations and public procurements are expected to be major factors in this growth.