Registration and Setup / Update do NOT require WiFi; as long as you have internet access (which you seem to have as you have posted), you can just use an USB cable to connect the Touch to your PC.
You can download Desktop from
http://www.kobobooks.com/desktop
You can also tell if he has registered the Kobo (which IS required to get the unit to the point where it will accept books) by going through the SETTINGS menus on the unit and getting to the ACCOUNT page. There it will show what account has been associated with the unit by the setup.