If you boil the 4G technology wars down to two providers, there’s really no contest. Clearwire (NSDQ: CLWR) announced yesterday that it will have mobile WiMax up and running in 80 markets by 2010, and at least eight major markets, including Chicago, Las Vegas and Seattle, this year. Let’s compare that to Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless’ plans, which were unveiled at Mobile World Congress two weeks ago. Verizon’s CTO Dick Lynch said the carrier expects to launch around 25 to 30 markets in 2010 (less than half of what Clearwire’s coverage plans will cover).

In addition, Clearwire plans to reach 120 million Americans by 2010, but Lynch would not say how many people Verizon’s would cover, meaning it could target smaller, less challenging markets at first. And, possibly, what’s worse is that Verizon Wireless’ LTE buildout is happening so early that it will likely use a non-standard version of LTE. That’s the position Clearwire finds itself in today with about 50 WiMax markets live across the U.S. and Europe that are using an early version of the technology. Clearwire is now frantically converting those markets over to true WiMax, so consumers can use standard laptops, modems and other devices that come with a WiMax chip. Of course, these are just two providers, and others, like AT&T (NYSE: T) have plans for LTE in the U.S., but Clearwire and Verizon have been the most aggressive to date.