In an announcement that came moments after the communications regulator officially advertised the licence, Channel 4 said it planned to launch a number of 4-branded national stations from 2008 alongside "a variety of new stations and services supplied by its consortium partners".
Partners confirmed to date include Sky, Universal Music, IPC and CanWest.
Nathalie Schwarz, director of radio at Channel 4, said the group was confident it could make "a compelling case" to be awarded the licence and "kick start a new creative era for radio in the UK".
Speaking at MediaTel's The Future of Radio seminar this week, Schwarz said: "We want to build on what we've done in television in the last 20 years and put that quality and DNA into radio. We want to bring new audiences away from the BBC and help commercial radio, working with the rest of the industry, regain its place in the market."
Ofcom will accept bids until 28 March next year and will issue the licence for a 12-year period.
The Government is currently in discussions over whether multiplex licences granted after 1 October this year should be eligible for renewal when they expire.
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