Broadband fixed wireless access gives allows users to take advantage of cheap, fast internet and multimedia access by radio links rather than down a telephone line.
Ms Hewitt said:
"Following extensive consultation with interested parties, I intend to award by auction later this year licences for the provision of broadband fixed wireless access at 28 GHz. There will be three licences available in each of eleven English licence areas and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each licence will have forward and return channels of 112 MHz. A successful bidder will be able to hold just one licence in each licence area, but will be able to hold a licence in any number of licence areas. Licences will be for a term of fifteen years.
"I will shortly be publishing draft Regulations to be made under section 3 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1998 to provide for this auction. The period for comments to be received concludes on 17 July. I hope to lay the Regulations before Parliament by the end of July. With the draft Regulations I am also publishing for comment a draft of the Notice that I intend to issue under the Regulations. The Notice sets out the detailed arrangements for the auction and will include the date on which applications should be made."
Proposals for awarding licences for the provision of broadband fixed wireless access at 40 GHz will be announced later this summer. The current intention is to make licences available later in the year.