The government's financial package to telecom operators with extra incentive to cellular operators has irked the paging industry which has filed a petition in Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, seeking compensation from the government saying that cellular operators were "killing" them by offering SMS facility, which is an exclusive domain of paging sector.

"Since our loss is cellular operators' gain regarding SMS facility and revenue is going to the government, we seek that the same should be refunded to the paging industry," Praveen Kumar, managing director of Mobilink told PTI in New Delhi.

Kumar said: "Since cellular operators were not charged a fixed fee for SMS facility, similarly our fixed fee should be waived from the beginning to bring it at par with cellular services and we are ready to pay revenue share to the government."

Kumar termed SMS facility as "nothing but paging service on cellphones."

"The cellular industry had suffered on account of roaming-type services by WLL players and both have now been accommodated by converting their licence. Now the paging industry is suffering as it is being killed by cellular operators," he said, making a pitch for compensation.

In October, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had stated that there was no further need for compensation to cellular operators, but the government went ahead with extra incentive, contends the paging industry while pointing out that if the government could dole out money to them (cellular operators), then why not to the paging industry.

The petition has been filed by Indian Paging Service Association in TDSAT, and is expected to come up for hearing in the first week of January.

In its petition, IPSA has sought from tribunal "appropriate order or directions directing respondents (government) to waive fixed licence fee of radio paging operators from the beginning and consequent directions for refund of the same and/or adjustment against dues on basis of revenue share."

It has also asked the tribunal to "pass order/direction directing Trai to look into and examine grievances of the applicant (IPSA), economic structure of the paging industry and recommend suitable measure for relief to radio paging service providers so that level playing field was ensured."