Q: i updated my iphone 3g to ios 5 , now my itunes is saying that my sim card is not available, btw i live in ethiopia

Hi robel-lebor,

Sorry to hear about your iPhone not recognizing the SIM card. Let's see what we can do to get it sorted out. 

I would first look at the troubleshooting outlined below. It will have you toggle on and off Airplane mode, restarting your iPhone and reseating the SIM card. If those options do not work for you, you might want to contact Apple Support. 

If you get an alert about the SIM card in your iPhone
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201420

Have a good day