Facing escalating demands for high-speed, large-bandwidth, and low-latency wireless data links, laser communication technology has emerged as a promising technology. While free space optical communication conventionally utilizes near-infrared light sources, there has been growing interest in exploring new spectral resources, including visible lasers. Recently, laser-based white light has been demonstrated in visible light communication, with a unique capability to seamlessly integrate with illumination and display systems. This review summarizes the key devices and system technologies in semiconductor-laser-based white light for VLC-related applications. The recent advances and many emerging applications in the evolution of lighting, display, and communication are discussed.