Helwan cement
Helwan Cement began operating in 1929 and has about 4 million tonnes per year of capacity; a USD 30 million waste heat recovery plant was announced.
Cairo is a city rather than a single industrial site; the hazardous-area sites are in its surroundings. Egypt's national oil company is the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, and Egypt has the sixth-largest proved oil reserves in Africa, over half of them offshore. Distribution partners for Greater Cairo are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Greater Cairo has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Marking | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 on the rating plate | Design target; not yet marked |
| EU-type examination certificate | Notified body number and certificate ID | In progress with TÜV; not issued |
| IECEx certificate of conformity | Number listed on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Greater Cairo: Cement kiln fuel areas, Factory solvent and gas areas, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Cairo. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Helwan Cement began operating in 1929 and has about 4 million tonnes per year of capacity; a USD 30 million waste heat recovery plant was announced.
About 46 km from Cairo, it is reported to host 5,083 factories and around 353,656 jobs across electronics, food, pharmaceuticals, plastics, steel and other sectors.
Natural gas made up 84% of Egypt's electricity mix in 2023, and Egypt produced 45% of Africa's gas-fired electricity in 2022, so gas-fired power stations and gas networks are the backbone of the national grid.
The Cairo Metro opened in 1987, is the oldest metro system in Africa and has over 1 billion passenger rides a year, so underground and railway systems are a major source of civil and electrical work.
Cairo lies near the Nile Delta, was founded in 969 and is Egypt's capital and a regional centre of finance and commerce, so many buyers and contractors are based there even when sites are elsewhere.
Many international businesses and organisations have regional offices in Cairo, including the Arab League headquarters, so engineering and procurement teams are often briefed from the capital.
ATEX is the European legal framework for equipment used in explosive atmospheres (Directive 2014/34/EU). IECEx is the international certification scheme built on the IEC 60079 standards. Buyers outside Europe often ask for both: an IECEx certificate is the technical evidence most national regimes build on, while ATEX is the legal route into the European market.
For the IS-04Z1 both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and neither certificate has been issued. The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: equipment Group II (surface industry), Category 2 (Zone 1 gas), protection concept ib (intrinsic safety), gas group IIC and temperature class T4.
In Greater Cairo. Cairo is a city rather than a single site, so a reviewer would ask which facility the device is for: the Mostorod refinery, Helwan Cement or a factory in 10th of Ramadan City. Each would expect its own certificate evidence. A dual route helps firms serving several of them. The IS-04Z1 holds no certificate today.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Greater Cairo. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, fuel storage, cement kiln fuel areas, factory solvent and gas areas. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Greater Cairo.
Cairo is mainly a commercial and administrative hub, though the wider region has power stations, fuel depots and industrial plants with classified areas. Buyers and project teams often work from Cairo for sites elsewhere. Confirm the exact site and its zone classification with the operator.
Each operator and its parent organisation sets its own equipment approval and supplier registration, commonly asking for IECEx or ATEX certification against IEC 60079. Procedures differ between companies, so ask the procurement and HSE departments for current requirements and sample documentation.
Cairo itself is a city, and the relevant sites are in its surroundings: the Mostorod refinery in Qalyubia, Helwan Cement to the south, and factories in 10th of Ramadan City. Each has its own areas and rules. Ask the individual operator which zones exist and what equipment it accepts.
Related guides for Cairo and for Egypt.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.