Cannot activate iPhone 3GS iOS6, it wants SIM

I just upgraded my old iPhone 3GS to iOS6.
Now it wants a valid SIM (which I do not have) in order to work.   I already did a restore, no success.
It also wants to join wifi, otherwise it will not work, which I can do.  However, it will simply not go past the SIM stage.
Must be related to iOS6. Is it some stupid thing Apple came up with?
There were no such problems in iOS5.

I do not have another working SIM (all my active phones have microsim).  I tried to insert the micro in a regular SIM frame but I do not have the right tool to carve it out.
Anyway, this has naver been a problem. If it is an iOS6 "feature" than it is unfortunately beyond stupid.

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