Does iphone need a sim card for first boot setup?

So i recently bought iphone 5 for me, and i'm a fresh iphone user, yeah i never used iphone before!
I don't put a simcard on my iPhone. But during setup, they says (could not activate your iphone) error!
And they also told that you will need sim card for setup your iphone!
So does it compulsorily need sim card for first boot setup?
Sry for bad english. I need urgent help. Please answer!

Yes a SIM card is needed to activate the device

My understanding is that it does

once you have set it up including setting up your Apple ID you can then remove the sim and use the device effectively as an IPod Touch - so all web function including IMessage and Facetime will be available to you so long as you have a Wi-Fi connection

Yes it is mandatory. The only exception is the iPhone 4 CDMA model. You'll need a SIM card from the carrier that the phone is locked to, or if the phone is unlocked, any SIM card that works.

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