Facebook has a “phone team in-house,” according to a new research note from Topeka Capital Markets analyst Victor Anthony, via Seeking Alpha, “but it is unclear of the ultimate goal of this unit.” The note goes on to doubt the prospect that Facebook will release its own smartphone device at a mysterious January 15 event at its headquarters in Menlo Park, but Anthony does suggest that Facebook’s event may be mobile device-related, and raises the prospect that Facebook may unveil tighter integration with wireless carrier companies.
Rumors of a Facebook-branded smartphone have persisted for years, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pushed back against such reports, saying in July 2012 “it wouldn’t make sense” for Facebook to offer its own phone at this time.
