iPhone 5 to Launch in 54 Countries in December

Apple has announced the next phase of its global iPhone 5 rollout. No less than 54 countries are on the list to receive the latest device before the end of this year. In a press release, Apple said the iPhone 5 will be available in South Korea starting on Friday, December 7th.

From there, it's on to two long lists of countries that will get the iPhone 5 on December 14th and December 21st. The iPhone 5 is already available in 47 countries, which means Apple will meet its goal of selling the iOS smartphone in over 100 countries before the end of 2012.

Shipping times for the iPhone 5 on the US Apple Store online have dropped to their lowest since the device launched on September 21st. Orders placed today ship in only 2-4 business days. Customers ordering just one day after launch waited weeks to receive their iPhone.

Here's the complete list of upcoming iPhone 5 launches:

Friday, December 14th
Albania
Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
China
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Ecuador
Grenada
Indonesia
Israel
Jamaica
Jordan
Kuwait
Macedonia
Malaysia
Moldova
Montenegro
Panama
Paraguay
Philippines
Qatar
Russia
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
Taiwan
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Venezuela

Friday, December 21
Barbados
Botswana
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Egypt
Guinea
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Madagascar
Mali
Mauritius
Morocco
Niger
Senegal
St. Kitts
St. Lucia
St.Vincent & the Grenadines
Tunisia
Uganda
Vietnam