Meta's latest job listing shows that positions such as "Antenna Research Scientist", "AR Product Quality Engineering Director", "Chief Wireless Carrier Engineer", "Cellular Firmware Engineer" and other positions are being hired, and the recruitment information indicates that the company is exploring the next generation of VR and AR headsets with cellular connectivity.
The Antenna Research Scientist mentions "focusing on antenna innovations and new architectures to advance the state of wireless technology in augmented reality," with specific responsibilities for "developing WiFi/BT/GPS/Cellular and millimeter wave antenna concepts for AR/VR products," as well as processes and certifications such as 4G, 5G networks, or other wireless network access.
The AR Director of Product Quality Engineering lists "product experience that meets the quality requirements of telecom operators and/or FDA" in its preferred qualifications. "Chief Wireless Carrier Engineer" needs to be certified with global carriers for cellular networks, and cellular network work experience with high-end smartphone products is preferred. "Cellular firmware engineers" will work as part of a team that "is responsible for integrating third-party vendors' cellular stacks (4G/5G) in our Facebook Reality Labs portfolio," with "Android phone knowledge" preferred.
Meta's Reality Labs division is responsible for a growing number of products, including Quest 2 and Portal video calling devices, and plans to launch a new high-end VR headset with more sensors and a slimmer form factor later this year. Meta also reportedly plans to release a watch this year, Facebook, a virtual assistant in the sunglasses of the Ray-Ban camera.
These job postings reveal that Meta is planning to add 5G and even 6G network capabilities to future AR and VR products. At the same time, various news is also revealing that Meta is developing an AR/VR (or mobile device) operating system, will also launch a smart watch, and will compete with giants such as Apple and Google in the field of consumer electronics.
While Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees VR and AR as the future of personal computing and telematics, the weight of the glasses and the heat generated by their components severely limits the capabilities that designers can design in a particular device. To this day, the Quest 2 is only suitable for indoor use, and it can connect to your local Wi-Fi network, download games, surf the internet, start an audio chat with friends, or play online games. Thinner Ray-Ban Stories glasses connect to your phone using Bluetooth in a smaller range and transmit images and videos captured on them.
Competitors such as Apple have reportedly offered unusually generous stock options to prevent key employees from jumping ship, so Meta is also engaged in a talent battle to achieve Zuckerberg's vision, and Meta's list of "mobile phone firmware engineers" is paid "$209,000 / year + bonus + equity + benefits".