The Apple iPhone is set to make its debut in 10 countries throughout South and Central America.

Carrier America Movil said that on 22 August it will be releasing the iPhone 3G in Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

The Mexico-based telco also distributes the iPhone in its home country. The iPhone launched in Mexico on 11 July as one of 12 countries participating in the 3G model's initial debut.

America Movil joins AT&T in the US and Rogers in Canada to provide iPhone service in the Americas. The company estimates that it has some 165 million subscribers in 17 countries.

The latest rollout announcement is part of a much larger iPhone expansion Apple first announced at its World Wide Developers Conference in June. Over the next several months, the company hopes to expand the iPhone's reach into some 70 countries.

Ironically, the list of countries does not include Brazil, home to the group which first unlocked the iPhone 3G last month.