Google, Meta and Apple set to win US approval for virtual reality devices

Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. are on the verge of winning approval from US regulators to deploy a new set of mobile virtual and augmented reality devices, including goggles and in-car connections.

The very low power gadgets would be allowed to tap airwaves used by Wi-Fi-enabled devices under a proposal announced Wednesday by Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The agency is to vote Oct. 19 on the matter, which is considered likely to be approved because Rosenworcel leads a Democratic majority at the agency.

Tapping into the 6 GHz band would “foster a new wave of innovation in devices that will benefit consumers in exciting ways and bolster US leadership in advanced wireless technologies,” Rosenworcel said in a statement.

Devices that run on the airwaves “can usher in new ways that Americans work, play, and live, by enabling applications that can provide large quantities of information in near real-time,” the FCC said earlier as it considered the proposal.

The three tech giants pleaded with the FCC two years ago to be able to access the unlicensed spectrum, claiming it would be “critically important to future innovations in augmented and virtual reality. ” Apple, Meta and Google are all working on augmented reality eyeglasses, and could use the 6 GHz band to connect with a smartphone, for example. Other important uses could include exchanging navigation data between smartphones and a vehicle, the companies said.

The FCC will also consider so-called net neutrality rules for broadband providers at its October meeting.