The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has announced plans for its second 5G-centric auction, but has dropped plans for a coverage obligation in the 700 MHz band, because it has also announced proposals for a Shared Rural Network (SRN) to bring LTE to underserved areas. Ofcom will hold the auction for 700 MHz and 3.6 GHz spectrum in spring 2020 and is holding a period of public consultation until December 9. It has not announced a date to auction millimeter wave spectrum. The previous week, the regulator announced plans for the SRN, which aims to provide high quality LTE to 95% of the population, and 92% of the landmass, by 2025, with further improvements after that. For remote rural…