Problem with my 3GS' update, might be carrier related.

Question

So, I recently updated my 3GS to the latest update and all went well, seemingly.
Some, perhaps, important things before I describe what happened(see it as possible sources of discord with my goodwill if you want to):
-Before all this my iPhone worked well with a not-so-old version(think the last update was sometime last year before summer), I had music etc. on the phone and the phone was connected to an iTunes library, no problems.
-My phone was locked to a specific carrier and to use other it seems there was need of some kind of unlocking service
-I had it done, not properly at a store as I might should've, nonetheless it was done and they made some kind of mistake resulting in the deletion of my data, music and all what I had before.
-After the unlock(or whatever it's called) I was able to gain the services of the new carrier despite the mistake(the phone was still functional, it had just gotten an older version than before + all the data deleted. I hadn't connected it to iTunes between summer last year and now, so there was no contact between the phone and iTunes during this period, until just now(two/three days ago).
So,
I connected the phone to iTunes to update the version I was using, a very old one.
First iTunes notified me about the unit not being recognized as the iPhone for this library(something), so,
I'm asked to choose between 'restore old phone'(using back-up I had done before, before summer remember? ) and 'delete and use as new iPhone'.
Now, I'm not sure whether the options was really worded like so, but I tried to reconstruct them as best possible I could from memory(because I'm bad with print screen ), therefore please understand there might be some mistakes here and there..
Either way, I choose the later option and all as well. Then we come to the real issue: I then decided to update and install the newest version of software available for the phone, did so and then the phone was restarted...
Here is the nitty-gritty of it all, the problem~
-I still had the phone connected to iTunes-
and now it was high time for me, to my surprise, to configure the phone from start. I haven't needed to do this when updating before, but for all I know it might just be so with this update. Anyway, first is selection of language, then after that I'm to select region. Then 'Location Services'; two options 'Enable Location Services' or 'disable'. I choose disable, then there's Wi-Fi networks, though you can choose 'next' and connect via iTunes instead, I've tried both and here's what happens:
When using Wi-Fi, which I used first(I disconnected the phone and started the config.), I then click 'next' which takes me to the 'Activating your iPhone', where there's a loading screen, telling me it may take up to three minutes to activate. I wait and get(as seen on screen): Your iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable. Try connecting your iPhone to iTunes to activate it, or try again in a couple of minutes.
Yeah, my face displays a fairly neutral emotion reacting to this message.. I continue with iTunes: I connect the phone, takes some time for it to either connect or be recognized as a unit, don't know which. Now there's an error message telling me 'There is no SIM card installed in the iPhone you are attempting to activate' and the suggestion 'Please disconnect and insert a SIM card'.. Now I'm, because there is a SIM card in the blasted phone!
So this is my problem and the question/-s would probably be "Is there something wrong with the SIM card?", "Is it Apple pulling my leg and keeping the server from reaching my computer?", "Am I just missing something because I'm ignorant??" or "Is it related to my carrier?"
Sorry for this excessive amount of text and thank you for reading and hopefully enlightening my hopeless self. Now where's the spellchecker button?

Answer 1

Any1?