Setting Up an iPhone Without Activation If you want to use an iPhone on your cellphone carrier's network, you must install a SIM card associated with the network and activate it with the network.

Lack of a SIM card, or an improperly seated SIM card can block activation.

Some iPhones ship without SIM card (or with improperly seated SIM card), will not activate Ben Wilson June 30, 2007 12:00 a.m. PT 2 min read ...

Activate your iPhone back to AT&T if the SIM card you insert after you install blackra1n onto the device doesn't work properly. Blackra1n is a third-party program that "jailbreaks" SIM-bearing ...

But what is an eSIM? An eSIM is an industry-standard digital SIM embedded in your phone. It allows users to activate a cellular plan on their iPhone without inserting a physical SIM card.

A user has an iPhone 3G from a relative in France. Has the phone, but no SIM card. Can't activate it initially because he has T-Mobile, so no valid SIM at all. I can't even use an ATT SIM (in US ...