MANILA, Philippines -- Globe Telecom announced it would sell the iPhone 3G via prepaid starting at P37,599, or around P4,000 less than its initial introductory price.

In a statement, Globe said iPhone 3G prepaid kits will be available at P37,599 and P43,799 for the 8Gb and 16Gb models, respectively.

Globe said the new pricing will apply to all subscribers -- even to those who have made reservations. Globe earlier said Apple's latest iPhone device would be available starting August 22.

The prepaid plans come with P1,000 load spread over 5 months, or P200 per month. Also, the first 1,000 phonekit purchases will get another P1,000 discount off the purchase price.

Earlier this month, Globe said it would sell the iPhone 3G via prepaid at P41,899 (8Gb) and P48, 899 (16Gb). The iPhone 3G is likewise available through postpaid plans ranging from P1,599 to P4,999 a month, inclusive of free WiFi via Globe Wiz.

Globe added that zero-interest purchase plans in partnership with local banks still apply.

The Apple iPhone 3G, which operates on the third-generation (3G) mobile network, will also come with a built-in global positioning system (GPS) for location-based mobile services.

The iPhone 2.0 software includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, apart from hundreds of third-party applications built with the recently released iPhone software development kit.

Globe Telecom has more than 21 million mobile subscribers to date.