Amid rising concerns about climate change, a Dubai-based start-up aims to expand its gadget repair business across the region but with a focus on sustainability.
Fixerman has converted a large-sized van into a mobile phone repair service centre, which is fully powered by solar energy. It repairs mobile phones, laptops and tablets at its customer’s doorstep.
“The whole service part is completely done on solar power inside the van. The equipment that is used in repairing gadgets run on solar power with solar panels fixed on top of the vehicle,” says Jassim Bangara, founder and chief executive of Fixerman.
“We're actually making a statement … let's try to achieve carbon neutrality in a way we can and it is extremely important in today’s world.”
The UAE aims to become carbon neutral by 2050, while other countries in the region including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, aim to reach the target by 2060.
A chartered accountant by profession, Mr Bangara started the company in 2016 after noticing a gap in the phone repair services “which, didn't quite completely cater to the requirement of the tech-savvy market that we have in the UAE”, he says.
There are nine million people in UAE but there are 17.1 million mobile subscriptions, so “we use our phones a lot ... there are people with two and sometimes even three phones”.
However, to cater to them, the country had only stores in the malls – inconvenient for those with busy schedules – or those "in the disorganised sector, where you don't really necessarily have that quality control when you give your device to them”, Mr Bangara says.
“We have a different kind of services. One is I will come to you, and we fix the device in front of the customer. However, some devices require a deeper level of repair, and for those customers, we have pickup and drop-off services with our fixer hawks. They go around the city, picking up devices from customers, dropping into our studio, we fix it, and then we drop it back.
“There’s a third kind of service where customers actually visit our studio," Mr Bangara says. "It’s an open kitchen concept with jazz music playing on in the background while we repair the device.”
Customers can contact Fixerman by a toll-free number or through social media channels such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
Mr Bangara is bullish about the growth of the company as mobile phone usage booms after Covid-19 as consumers switch to online payments, shopping and entertainment.
More than 60 per cent of residents recently polled by payments company Visa in the UAE reported an increase in the usage of mobile payments.
“The market is huge, and our dependency on the phones is only increasing. On average, we look at the phone 58 times a day and its usage is increasing as the number of apps goes up,” he says.
Fixerman recently opened its mobile service centre in India and aims to expand across the Middle East as the internet penetration and mobile phone usage continues to grow spurred by the pandemic.
“We have very aggressive plans for the future,” Mr Bangara says. “We want to spread our reach to the Middle East and we are going to start with the GCC countries initially and then we will look at other countries after that. We also have expansion plans in India where we've recently started the first solar powered smart repair centre in Kerala.”
The company, however, has competition from authorised service providers to centres located in Karama, Al Qusais or Satwa, Mr Bangara says. But Fixerman is highly rated by the customers “in the way that we are doing things”.
Revenue jumped 300 per cent in 2019, while the company recorded an 85 per cent growth last year as demand rises. Fixerman expects double-digit growth in revenue in 2021, Mr Bangara says.
“We are very optimistic about what we can do and we are investing in the technologies to enable us to do more devices.”
The company served more than 20,000 customers in the last four years and it employs 22 people. It is planning to raise more funds for expansion. Mr Bangara did not elaborate on those plans.
"We've been self-funded so far ... very shortly we will be going out into the market to raise funding."
Company profile
Name: Fixerman
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: more than 20
Sector: Technology
Funding: Self-funded
Q&A with Jassim Bangara, founder of Fixerman
What successful start-ups do you wish you could have started?
To me, a successful start-up is one where an idea has been curated to meet the local needs and simultaneously able to disrupt the existing operating model. Two very good examples are Careem in the UAE and Byju’s, an online education platform in India. Both were able to efficiently craft their services to the local needs and achieved tremendous growth as a result. I see the success of these start-ups and use it as an inspiration in our journey. There are many lessons to be learnt from their successes and the objective is to learn from their respective paths.
What is your vision for the company?
We are very ambitious and want to be the best service centre in the wider region. We want to fix as many devices as possible and want maximum number of people to benefit from the services we provide. Mobile phones are at the heart of the digital ecosystem we all live in, and Fixerman is positioning itself to be a go to place for all your tech needs. To date, we have fixed more than 20,000 devices and we are planning to increase that. We want to do this by being a responsible member of society and that is why we hope to make an impact in the e-waste space as well. To date, we have collected more than 2,000 kilograms of e-waste. We intend to increase this significantly, too.
Where do you see yourself and the company in the next five years?
The pandemic taught us a lot of valuable lessons. We used the time to reflect and invest in ourselves. We intend to launch a flurry of activities and services over the next few quarters. This will include repairing gaming consoles, installation of smart homes and other value-added services. We hope to scale up our operations geographically.
What new skills have you learnt in the process of starting the company?
Starting a new company requires you to roll up your sleeves and step in wherever there is a gap. In my previous job, I used to recommend solutions to entities to solve their challenges. Now I am seeing first hand the challenges of execution and this has enabled me and the entire team to pick up skills along the way that are required to run a successful business. From speaking to customers at roadshows to preparing financial forecasts to digital content strategy, the learning has been rich and profound.
Who is your role model in the business world?
I admire Mudassir Sheikha of Careem as a role model. He is also an ex-consultant who went on to start a company to solve a problem he encountered. I admire the grit with which Careem has been led and the evolution of its services over the years. Jeff Bezos is another individual whose journey I greatly admire. He quit his career in the banking industry to build something he believed in.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
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The five pillars of Islam
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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2/5
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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