Photos: Mobile WiMax in action

As part of the demonstration, a Slingbox feed — in this case Canadian television — was relayed via the internet to an ultraportable notebook sporting a WiMax card. One of the strengths of mobile WiMax, according to its supporters, is its ability to transmit DVD-quality video and audio without any significant delays or jitters. Video and audio are applications that are not well suited to 3G.

This also makes mobile WiMax a good candidate to be included in future portable games consoles for gameplay over the wireless internet. It could also be used to broadcast content to video displays in cars and public transport.

According to Urban Wimax's Sasha Williamson, mobile WiMax and 3G will be able to co-exist for several years, with 3G taking care of simpler applications such as voice, email and basic web browsing, while mobile WiMax handles the more bandwidth-intensive applications that can make use of its symmetrical upload/download capabilities.

A stream from a high-definition CCTV camera was also demonstrated. Mobile WiMax's proponents claim the technology could usher in a new era of video surveillance, with quality high enough to enable automated facial recognition even while the stream is being watched from a police van on the move.