No service - any suggestions?

[tryps]

I broke the screen of my tilt (I'll remember not to put my phone in a bag that also has a wrench in it). bad
I bought a new screen online and managed to replace it (way more involved than I expected). good except.....

I cannot get a phone service. Everything else seems to work. The screen looks/works fine. Apps work fine. Wifi works fine. I am just not able to get cellular service.
I tried a hard reset. nope.
I am using one of Dutty's ROMs (forget exactly which at the moment)

Am I missing something obvious? Does anyone have a suggestion? Or am I now stuck with an expensive, mini wifi device?

[tryps]

to add to my own post..
I sort of suspected an antenna problem but am kind of ignorant to how the antenna works on my phone. Are there separate antenna for the wifi and cellular signals? What/where is the antenna(s)? Under what is called the antenna cover I see four brass contacts but the matching contacts in the cover do not seem to go anywhere.
Can anyone explain this to me?

Which leads me to...
When I opened up the back again I noticed that I have three springing brass connections on the board and one flat one. Since all four matching connections on the cover are flat I guess I must have broken off one of the springy ones. The missing spring-connection is one of the pair on the upper left corner.
I tried to temporarily rig a connection with a piece of folded aluminum foil to see if I could get some signal but had no luck.
Can anyone with more knowledge in this area tell me if I might be on to something or just barking up the wrong tree?

[tryps]

Just to keep talking to myself and keep my loyal audience updated ....
I re-rigged the connection using a (tiny) piece of sheet metal and was able to pick up a slight signal and unreliable signal. I am actually on to something.

Now how do I make a more permanent connection?
I am not all that confident in my soldering skills to solder something so small/delicate at this time. I have heard of conductive glue but am not sure how well they work and if they will affect the function if the antenna (being as I don't understand how the antenna works). Do I just try to hone my soldering skills and hope for the best?
What metal should I use for the contact? Does this impact the function of the antenna?
Progress but ever more questions.