T-Mobile US today announced that it will deploy 5G service on its 600 MHz spectrum holdings before the end of this year. The operator claims it will be the first “nationwide” 5G network in the country, but it will only cover up to 200 million people, which is about 61% of the total U.S. population.

Competition for 5G firsts in the United States is fierce. And although T-Mobile was the last of the four nationwide operators to deploy 5G, it is trying to reverse that dynamic by leapfrogging AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.

AT&T isn’t expected to reach nationwide 5G coverage until the end of 2020, and again that will only cover a potential 200 million U.S. residents. Verizon hasn’t shared a timeline for nationwide 5G coverage yet, and Sprint is effectively in a holding pattern as it awaits the outcome of its proposed merger with T-Mobile.

The caveats associated with each of those plans are abundant, and most 5G-capable devices won’t reach customers’ hands until 2020. T-Mobile is releasing a 5G-capable smartphone from OnePlus that supports 600 MHz spectrum, but pricing and availability won’t be announced until later this year.

T-Mobile says it has already installed thousands of 5G-ready towers and cell sites that are capable of delivering 5G on 600 MHz spectrum via software upgrade. The operator, which is working with Ericsson and Nokia on its entire 5G network build, previously said it would accomplish nationwide 5G coverage in 2020.

The operator launched 5G service in parts of six cities on millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum during the summer, but it hasn’t expanded its use of the high-band spectrum or shared plans to deploy mmWave in more cities. T-Mobile frequently minimizes the capabilities of mmWave as a limited strategy for 5G and criticizes AT&T and Verizon’s 5G networks, which exclusively ride on the spectrum thus far, because signals “can be blocked by things like walls, glass, and leaves.”

T-Mobile maintains that only by combining with Sprint and gaining access to its 2.5 GHz spectrum will it be able to provide a robust 5G network riding on low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum that can unlock the full potential of 5G.

“5G is the most transformative technology of our lifetime — faster speeds, better coverage, real-time responses, more connections. It’ll dramatically change our mobile experience, fuel brand new experiences and drive billions in economic growth and jobs, but only if everyone can get access to broad, deep 5G,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a prepared statement.