The 28GHz fixed wireless auction has been greeted with apathy from telcos, failing to attract any bids in its first month.

"The Government's priorities on fixed wireless are wrong. It is the lower end of the spectrum that is of more interest," said Tim Johnson, principal analyst at research firm Ovum.

It had been hoped 28GHz would give IT directors a low-cost alternative to leased lines for high-speed corporate internet connectivity that was as fast as or faster than DSL.

According to Johnson, interest in 28GHz waned following initial test results. "The 3.5GHz and 2.4GHz licences offer an immediate solution for running broadband services. We need a proper policy on releasing these," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Radiocommunications Agency (RA) denied it was disappointed by the lack of bids to date. "The auctions are open for a year, so bidders will have the opportunity to approach this in a considered way," she said.

She denied there were any plans to can the auction, but was unable to confirm how many application forms or bidder compliance certificates had been issued.

The spokeswoman said the RA had briefed operators on various network access technologies such as mesh, but added that it would not back a single technology horse.