The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finally approved the Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Ray, paying the way for the manufacturer to launch the smartphone in the North American markets.

Following getting the FCC’s approval for features UMTS II and UMTS V bands, the Xperia Ray is expected to become available soon via carrier AT&T.

The Xperia Ray, which was unveiled the Singapore’s recent CommunicAsia expo, is already available for pre-order in UK.

The Android 2.3, Gingerbread-based smartphone features a 3.3-inch FWVGA Reality Display, a 1GHz processor and an 8-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus and 720p HD video recording capability.

With a price tag of around £349.99, or $558, the 9.4mm-thin Xperia Ray is slightly more affordable than other high-end Android smartphones.

Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson announced that it suffered a loss of 50 million euros ($71 million) during the three months ended June, as the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan hit its sales more than expected.