T-Mobile has officially turned on its 600MHz-based 5G network, claiming 1 million square miles of coverage across urban and rural areas with service possible to more than 200 million people. With the launch, the carrier has summed up what customers can expect from the new spectrum.

As previously mentioned in its New Un-carrier announcement a couple of weeks ago, T-Mobile's 5G airwaves are now reaching across 5,000 cities in the U.S. and you'll be able to see how well it's covering the one you're in with this handy mapping tool. It's a low-band distribution of 5G, so you can expect signals to work through walls, but don't hope for too much in speed improvements — 70Mbps was the target mentioned at one quarterly earnings call, double the current average performance on T-Mobile's 4G.

You probably don't have a 5G phone to bring over to the network if you're switching carriers, but you can do so if you want right now. Metro by T-Mobile will commence 5G service on December 6.

Also on that day, pre-orders for the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren and the Galaxy Note10+ 5G will begin to be fulfilled — these will be the only phones to be supported at the outset. Customers can get the 7T Pro for $900 (or less with an ongoing promotion detailed in this story) which can be financed over 24 months or the Note10+ for $1,300 financed over 36 months. The Note10+ will be the only 5G phone available to purchase on Metro.

T-Mobile is hoping to complete its merger with Sprint pending a state attorneys general lawsuit to absorb that company's 2.5GHz holdings to bring faster speeds to its portfolio. Both phones will be able to utilize that acquired spectrum if the deal closes.

Source: T-Mobile