Activation/jailbreak/unlock catch 22 !!

I just purchased a Dutch T-mobile locked 3g 16gb.

Catch22: It has never been activated, so I don't know what FW+BB it is. To know it, I would need to activate it. (which I can't - see below)


Before I purchase a Rebel card or so:

- can the lastest FW+baseband be hacktivated ? (I don't have a T-mobile simcard to activate it!!)
- can rebel card and equivalents activate the phone before unlocking it ? (again, without a T-mobile sim)

I believe even the latest bb can be jailbroken (but not sw unlocked). Is there a point doing so if I'm planing to purchase a rebel card anyways ?

Thx

Ralph