AT&T on Thursday said it will drop the price of Apple’s iPhone 3GS to $49 beginning tomorrow, January 7.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]The company said that the $49 iPhone 3GS will be available online from its Web site and at its 2,200 retail locations throughout the U.S. AT&T also said that the iPhone could be purchased through “Apple channels,” but has a caveat that Apple sets those prices.

“We want to deliver the best, most complete package for our customers — from price, to speed, to worldwide access and more,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Combined with our new, lower monthly data plans beginning at just $15 a month, this new price brings even more value to one of the most popular devices in our leading lineup of smartphones.”

The iPhone 3GS is the predecessor to the iPhone 4, which was released in the summer of 2010.