T-Mobile US’ proposed merger with Sprint has taken longer than planned, but CEO John Legere spun that as an opportunity to further prepare for the integration of their respective networks. “We now expect the merger will be permitted to close in early 2020,” he said during a third-quarter earnings call, according to a Seeking Alpha transcript.

“We have detailed integration plans and we are preparing to start deploying Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum soon after closing,” he said. Last week the operator announced it will deploy 5G service on its 600 MHz spectrum holdings before the end of the year, laying claim as 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.

The combination of T-Mobile and Sprint’s spectrum holdings will change that dynamic significantly in terms of speed, capacity, and coverage. T-Mobile’s 5G network on 600 MHz will generate peak speeds of 200 to 300 Mb/s, CTO Neville Ray told CNET. That’s roughly 20% of the peak speeds T-Mobile is delivering on its 5G network running on millimeter-wave spectrum in congested urban areas.

Adding 2.5 GHz spectrum from Sprint, which is delivering a more robust coverage area with peak speeds roughly half as great as millimeter-wave spectrum, will enable T-Mobile to use a combination of low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum for a more resilient and widespread network, according to T-Mobile.

T-Mobile’s network performance on 600 MHz is lower, in part, because its licenses in that band are more narrow. The spectrum depth of T-Mobile’s 600 MHz licenses range from 11 MHz to 50 MHz. Large swaths of less densely populated areas of the country are in the 31-40 MHz range, most of Southern California is in the 21-30 MHz range, and most of the Northeast Corridor is in the 11-20 MHz range.

“Our 600 MHz spectrum will be the foundation for our 5G network, and its live in nearly 8,300 cities and towns” spanning 48 states and Puerto Rico, Legere said on the earnings call. “This deployment covers 1.4 million square miles.” The operator says 26 million devices are running on its 600 MHz network today.

T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network has also reached parity with AT&T and Verizon, with 99% of the U.S. population covered, according to Legere. “We now have thousands of 5G ready towers and cell sites capable of lighting up 5G on our 600 MHz spectrum,” he said. The company says it has invested $8 billion to date in 600 MHz spectrum and plans to share some of its future plans and commitments in tandem with Sprint on Nov. 7.

Operator executives are also trying to differentiate their 5G strategy from others. During an on-stage interview at MWC Los Angeles 2019, Ray said he is equally excited about the benefits for consumers and enterprises. “We don’t spend enough time talking about the consumer benefits that will come,” he said.

The widespread coverage of T-Mobile’s 5G network on 600 MHz spectrum, and possibly Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum, is also different than Verizon’s approach, which T-Mobile President Mike Sievert described as “5G in a few places” with high capacity while customers in other places will be relegated to LTE. “I don’t think that will inspire the same kind of mobile innovation that we’re going to see,” he said on the earnings call.

Executives were also reticent to discuss how T-Mobile’s 5G strategy will change if the deal with Sprint falls apart. “There’s only one plan, and that’s combining with Sprint,” Ray said.

On the financial performance front, T-Mobile continues to stand out in the industry. The operator reported its 26th consecutive quarter of more than 1 million net additions, including 1.7 million total during the third quarter of 2019. The company also said its capex for 2019 will be in the range of $5.9 billion to $6 billion, which is up to $300 million higher than its previous guidance due to an accelerated 5G deployment.

T-Mobile banked $870 million in net income, up 9% year-over-year, on $11.1 billion in revenue, which was up 2% during the same period.