Error message: itunes-restore phone to factory default on iphone 3 "we're sorry, we are unable to continue with your activation at this time".

Attempting to restore Iphone 3 to factory deafalut, to finish "unlocking" the Iphone 5.
Moving the phone from one cellular carrier to another (in this case Rogers to Bell in Canada).
Rogers "unlocked" the phone on their end for $50.00, sent an email to Apple requesting serial # to be released from their network, and to provide "unlocked" status.
Next step was to restore phone to "factory default" in I tunes, and wait for phone to reset and show "unlocked" status.
Upon phone resetting in Itunes, after the "factory default", received the following error message"
"we are sorry, we are unable to unable to continue with activation at this time  Please try again, or contact customer service".
I contacted Apple customer service whom confirmed that the phone is showing as "unlocked" in their system.
New carrier that I am attempting to hook phone up states that the phone is still locked.
What is the solution or workaround?

Hello mzpartia,
I found an article from Apple that specifically outlines how to try and troubleshoot this issue. It's called iPhone: Troubleshooting activation issues found here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3424.
Resolution
Perform the following steps if you receive one of the messages above:
Restart the iPhone.
Try another means of reaching the activation server and attempt to activate.
Try connecting to Wi-Fi if you're unable to activate using a cellular data connection.
Try connecting to iTunes if you're unable to activate using Wi-Fi.
Restore the iPhone.
If you receive an alert message when you attempt to activate your iPhone, try to place the iPhone in recovery mode and perform a restore. If you're still unable to complete the setup assistant due to an activation error, contact Applefor assistance.
Take care,
Sterling

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