Philippine telecommunications firms Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. (GLO.PH) started taking orders Friday for the iPhone4S, and said they would make the latest Apple Inc. (AAPL) phone available to subscribers from Dec. 16.

Earlier iPhone versions including the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4 were previously offered exclusively in the Philippines by Globe, but Apple has done away with exclusivity deals because it wants a wider distribution of its products.

Smart is a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (TEL.PH), the country's largest telecommunications company.

-By Cris Larano, Dow Jones Newswires; 632-848-5051; cris.larano@dowjones.com