How Hajj works from Egypt
According to the Egyptian government, most of the Egyptians who died in 2024 had travelled on visit visas through unlicensed agents, without the camps, the transport and the medical cover that licensed pilgrims get, and the licences of the companies involved were revoked. For the licensed companies that remain, the lesson is that the pilgrims they carry must be visibly looked after: a family that has read the news wants to know, in the moment, that their father is in the camp and not on the road to Arafat on foot.
The Egyptian contingent is Arabic-speaking and generally knows the rites well, so the guide is less of a draw than the safety functions. What matters is the alert when a pilgrim falls, the location when they are missing, and the call from the company’s guide to tell them where to wait. Companies on the tourism route compete on service, and this is a service that can be shown to a family before they book.
Risks for a Egyptian group
After 2024
Families ask what the company will know if something goes wrong. The watch gives a live answer, and the console keeps a record.
Heat on foot
The deaths of 2024 were heat deaths among people walking long distances. The guide tells a pilgrim when to rest; a leader can see who is still moving at noon.
Three routes, three organisers
State, tourism and association pilgrims are run by different bodies. The Group and Fleet tiers fit the companies; the Authority tier fits a ministry.
Older pilgrims from the governorates
Many pilgrims are elderly and travelling abroad for the first time. One key and a voice in Arabic is all they have to learn.
Questions from operators in Egypt
- Does the watch work for the state pilgrimage as well as the tourism companies?
- Yes. The companies fit it for their own groups under the Group or Fleet tier. A ministry running the state pilgrimage would use the Authority tier, with its own data residency and retention.
- Does it speak Arabic?
- Yes. The guide speaks and shows Arabic, and the family app and the console are available in Arabic.
- Is it sold in Egypt?
- Through a regional distributor, with NTRA type approval filed before local sale. Companies can order for the season; families can reserve a watch to be fitted before departure.
Apply to the Hajj 1448 / 2027 pilot
A small number of operators for the first season, at cost, with direct access to the engineering team.