On Friday, a Wal-Mart representative stated that the company would offer the iPhone 3G both in its 8GB and 16GB versions starting Sunday, December 29. The 8GB iPhone will have a price tag of $197 and the 16GB one will cost $297. The prices are available with a new two-year service agreement with AT&T, as the press release shows.

Many bloggers and reviewers believed that Wal-Mart, which is best known for offering low-cost items, would do the same with the iPhone. However, the official statement denies previous rumors, which stated that Wal-Mart would roll up the iPhone with a price tag of as low as $99.

The $197 and $297 price tags are in-line with the ones of Best Buy, the only other official retailer of the iPhone in the U.S., which sells the 8GB version of the device for $187.

A Wal-Mart spokesperson stated that the iPhone 3G would be available in 2,493 of the company’s 3,200 stores. Apple is known for not making their devices available to a big number of retailers. Currently, the iPhone is available in all Apple, Best Buy and AT&T stores across the United States. Moreover, wireless carriers offer the iPhone in 70 other countries.

A researcher at Piper Jaffray pointed out that Apple’s partnership with Wal-Mart could boost iPhone’s sales figures by more than 10% next year. If the prediction will turn out to be true, Apple might sell enough iPhones to cross the 50 million units mark in 2009.