Repair wizards slay mobile phone demons and win employment

Are you facing trouble with your mobile phone? Is your phone’s battery not working, is the display broken, or are you unable to send text messages? Do not worry, for there are repair wizards who can fix your phone, making them as good as new, and at a very low cost.

Magic at the ready

These mobile phone “technicians” can be found in their shops spread across the capital. However, the largest, and best, bunch of them can be found in Nahar Plaza and Motaleb Plaza, both shopping joints in Dhaka’s Hatirpool area.

More than 400 technicians here can fix a variety of problems in mobile phones, both software- and hardware-related.

Mohammad Shamim Sheikh, has been repairing mobile phones for a living for the past 15 years. He has fixed thousands of phones in his tiny shop in Nahar Plaza, with his inadequate collection of repair tools. “I started very young, at the age of 14, when I dropped out of school. I learned this servicing job by working as an apprentice at a shop in this market,” he says.

It took him about three months to learn the basics of fixing hardware snags. It also helped that hardware issues were the most common mobile phone problems that he faced when he was learning.

What types of problems are common now? “People come here with various problems. But the most common are power-related and touchscreen-related,” Shamim says. The most common hardware problems, however, are keypad- and network-related, according to him.

But how does he deal with different problems? Shamim explains: “It doesn’t matter what problems people have with their mobile phones when they come to me. We always start by dissembling them, part by part, carefully, because even the slightest poke can ruin the entire circuitry.”

Next, he washes the parts with octane, then dries them using heat. “After that, I start looking for the problem. At this stage, I use a hot air gun, DC power supply, and the soldering iron, depending on the service the phone set requires,” he adds.

On the inside

While most mobile phone issues are hardware-related (around 80 percent), sometimes there are software glitches, too. And there are shops in those markets that cater to those problems. The most common software issue is jail-breaking.

Md Farhad Hossain (28), owns a shop in Motaleb Plaza where jail-breaks of mobile phones brought from abroad are done. “We need to import special software to open the lock, which is very expensive,” Farhad says.

Farhad has different flashing tools and device boxes in order to jail-break mobile phones. For Android phones, he uses JAF box, which costs around Tk. 11,000–12,000. For iPhones, he uses Smartclip, which costs Tk. 24,000. For Windows phones, he uses Pantio which costs around Tk. 16,000.

He said these device boxes are used to break the code that protect the phone from being used by other telecommunication service providers than the designated ones. "In countries like the US, Canada, and the UK, mobile phone manufacturers have contracts with phone operators so that a person can avail high-end smart phones with a monthly package. Those are called locked phones. These toolboxes and software can unlock the phones", said Farhad.

“Also there are free software on the web and we also download those sometimes. But those usually doesn't work for the latest models because the manufactures usually upgrade the security system of the latest models and make those impregnable.”

He said that the free software can be used to lock the older models because the 'unlock pass' for those usually become available on the internet. He said this is because after launching a new model, the price of the old model falls and the unlock pass becomes available on the web.

The state of business

However, business has been on the decline lately, as Chinese brands of mobile phones have gained popularity for their cheaper prices and less sophisticated designs (which mean fewer complications).

Mohammad Ashraf, owner of another mobile phone servicing shop, says: “People now don’t bother to spend money for repair work as they can just get those slick Chinese phones for little money. It isn’t worth spending the extra money to repair them. Moreover, those sets can’t be fixed as their parts are not available here, and most of them are cheap electronics.”

Easy money, here I come

For many, fixing mobile phones is a good source of income. Training usually takes six months, so it is an easy option for thousands to earn livelihood.

Akmal Hossain, head of the Mobile Accessories Sales, Service & Training Institute, located on the fourth floor of Nahar Plaza, believes if a person wants to be self-sufficient within the shortest possible time, mobile phone servicing should be the best choice as a profession.

“I have been running this institute for more than 10 years. So far, around 9,000 people have received training from here, among whom more than 5,000 are now working in various countries of the Middle East, as well as in Thailand and Singapore,” he adds.

Akmal’s institute provides six-month training on mobile phone repairing, which includes theoretical and practical servicing, at the cost of Tk. 15,000. “With this training, one can get a job at any servicing outlet, or can open up a shop of their own by investing Tk. 25,000–30,000,” he says.

 

 

 

 

Repair wizards slay mobile phone demons and win employment

Are you facing trouble with your mobile phone? Is your phones battery not working, is the display broken, or are you unable to send text messages? Do not worry, for there are repair wizards who can fix your phone, making them as good as new, and at a very low cost. Magic at the ready These mobile phone technicians can be found in their shops spread across the capital. However, the largest, and best, bunch of them can be found in Nahar Plaza and Motaleb Plaza, both shopping joints in Dhakas Hatirpool area. More than 400 technicians here can fix a variety of problems in mobile phones, both software- and hardware-related. Mohammad Shamim Sheikh, has been repairing mobile phones for a living for the past 15 years. He has fixed thousands of phones in his tiny shop in Nahar Plaza, with his inadequate collection of repair tools. I started very young, at the age of 14, when I dropped out of school. I learned this servicing job by working as an apprentice at a shop in this market, he says. It took him about three months to learn the basics of fixing hardware snags. It also helped that hardware issues were the most common mobile phone problems that he faced when he was learning. What types of problems are common now? People come here with various problems. But the most common are power-related and touchscreen-related, Shamim says. The most common hardware problems, however, are keypad- and network-related, according to him. But how does he deal with different problems? Shamim explains: It doesnt matter what problems people have with their mobile phones when they come to me. We always start by dissembling them, part by part, carefully, because even the slightest poke can ruin the entire circuitry. Next, he washes the parts with octane, then dries them using heat. After that, I start looking for the problem. At this stage, I use a hot air gun, DC power supply, and the soldering iron, depending on the service the phone set requires, he adds. On the inside While most mobile phone issues are hardware-related (around 80 percent), sometimes there are software glitches, too. And there are shops in those markets that cater to those problems. The most common software issue is jail-breaking. Md Farhad Hossain (28), owns a shop in Motaleb Plaza where jail-breaks of mobile phones brought from abroad are done. We need to import special software to open the lock, which is very expensive, Farhad says. Farhad has different flashing tools and device boxes in order to jail-break mobile phones. For Android phones, he uses JAF box, which costs around Tk. 11,00012,000. For iPhones, he uses Smartclip, which costs Tk. 24,000. For Windows phones, he uses Pantio which costs around Tk. 16,000. He said these device boxes are used to break the code that protect the phone from being used by other telecommunication service providers than the designated ones. In countries like the US, Canada, and the UK, mobile phone manufacturers have contracts with phone operators so that a person can avail high-end smart phones with a monthly package. Those are called locked phones. These toolboxes and software can unlock the phones, said Farhad. Also there are free software on the web and we also download those sometimes. But those usually doesnt work for the latest models because the manufactures usually upgrade the security system of the latest models and make those impregnable. He said that the free software can be used to lock the older models because the unlock pass for those usually become available on the internet. He said this is because after launching a new model, the price of the old model falls and the unlock pass becomes available on the web. The state of business However, business has been on the decline lately, as Chinese brands of mobile phones have gained popularity for their cheaper prices and less sophisticated designs (which mean fewer complications). Mohammad Ashraf, owner of another mobile phone servicing shop, says: People now dont bother to spend money for repair work as they can just get those slick Chinese phones for little money. It isnt worth spending the extra money to repair them. Moreover, those sets cant be fixed as their parts are not available here, and most of them are cheap electronics. Easy money, here I come For many, fixing mobile phones is a good source of income. Training usually takes six months, so it is an easy option for thousands to earn livelihood. Akmal Hossain, head of the Mobile Accessories Sales, Service Training Institute, located on the fourth floor of Nahar Plaza, believes if a person wants to be self-sufficient within the shortest possible time, mobile phone servicing should be the best choice as a profession. I have been running this institute for more than 10 years. So far, around 9,000 people have received training from here, among whom more than 5,000 are now working in various countries of the Middle East, as well as in Thailand and Singapore, he adds. Akmals institute provides six-month training on mobile phone repairing, which includes theoretical and practical servicing, at the cost of Tk. 15,000. With this training, one can get a job at any servicing outlet, or can open up a shop of their own by investing Tk. 25,00030,000, he says.