With Facebook set to unveil its own modified version of Android this evening, Upstream has released its research looking at how the OS would go down in key emerging markets.

 31 per cent of respondents across Nigeria, India, Saudi Arabia and Brazil said that would be interested in purchasing a phone designed by Facebook which came with its content and services pre-installed.

“Since its IPO last year, Facebook’s business model has increasingly turned to mobile, with mobile advertising recognised as the major revenue generator for the social network,” said Upstream CEO Marco Veremis. “Its first step into the mobile hardware ecosystem will be particularly welcomed by consumers within emerging markets – who depend on their mobile devices to connect to the Internet and to participate in social networks.”

Taking a broader view, the research also found that in these emerging markets, 70 per cent want to access social media networks via their mobiles, and 19 per cent of respondents are happy to receive advertising over their mobile phone daily.

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