Hello jjorkf1,
Thank you for posting in the Apple Support Communities. We're sorry to see that you're experiencing an error when activating your iPhone, and we're here to assist.
This message might appear if there is a network error or connectivity issue, and reviewing the related article If you can't activate your iPhone was a great idea. If you're trying to activate via Wi-Fi, then we suggest connecting your iPhone to a computer, then activating it that way. Following the steps in the section "If you still can't activate your iPhone, try again using your computer instead" in the article linked above may help.
However, if this concern isn't resolved after taking the steps above, we recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here:
Get Support
We hope this information is useful. Kind regards.