August 22, 2008 will be a big day for those have been waiting patiently for the iPhone to become locally available in their country. Below is the list of confirmed countries and the corresponding carriers who managed to snag a lucrative deal with Apple.

1. Argentina (America Movil)
2. Chile (Claro/America Movil, Movistar/Telefonica)
3. Colombia (America Movil)
4. Czech Republic (Telefonica O2)
5. Ecuador (America Movil)
6. El Salvador (America Movil)
7. Estonia (TeliaSonera, EMT)
8. Guatemala (America Movil)
9. Honduras (America Movil)
10. Hungary (T-Mobile)
11. India (Bharti Airtel, Vodafone)
12. Latvia (TeliaSonera)
13. Lithuania (TeliaSonera)
14. Paraguay (America Movil)
15. Peru (America Movil)
16. Philippines (Globe Telecom)
17. Poland (Orange, Era)
18. Romania (Orange)
19. Slovakia (T-Mobile, Orange)
20. Uruguay (America Movil)

[via TUAW]

As you can see, some countries have the luxury of having more than one carrier which should make the pricing more competitive in their part of the world. However, there are no confirmed prices available for most of the listed countries with the exception of the Philippines. Globe, for their part, has already started taking reservations for the 3G iPhone.

While the handset prices are definitely more expensive when compared to the $199 and $299 US sale price, Globe does manage to bundle it with a more consumer friendly package that’ll cost at least $1254 after two years as opposed to the cheapest voice plan of AT&T which will cost $1975 after the same amount of time for an 8GB iPhone. However, the cheapest plan from Globe has limitations on mobile internet use. AT&T comes with an unlimited data plan. So, it’s really hard to compare the two due to the differences in the service they provide through their plans.

However, comparing the prepaid kits clearly shows how expensive it is in the Philippines. Globe offers the 8GB version for roughly $950 (P41,889) while the 16GB variation is being sold for $1110 (P48,899). AT&T now sells the 8GB iPhone for $599 and the 16GB for $699 minus a post-paid plan. Vodafone in Italy, likewise, sells it without a plan albeit a bit more expensive ($770/877 for the 8/16GB) than the US, but still cheaper than what’s being offered by Globe. Yeah, they’re all expensive, but at least you won’t be locked-in a two-year contract with a carrier.

So what’s a Filipino to do if he/she wants an iPhone but can’t stomach the high price? Find a friend or relative who’s willing to sign up with AT&T or Vodafone and ask them to sell you the iPhone at face value; or you can wait for a rival network to ink a deal with Apple (if ever that happens, but it’s possible) so that a better pricing scheme can be made available for consumers.

Personally, I’d go with the first option as the second one has no certainty at the moment. Better yet, if you don’t actually need the 3G connectivity, I hear the 2nd hand market of the 1st gen iPhone is on the rise.