Kazakhstan: industry on the ground
The Tengiz field in Atyrau Region was discovered in 1979 and covers a licence area of 2,500 square kilometres on the low-lying wetland shore of the Caspian Sea.
A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews at Tengiz, Kashagan and Karachaganak, the Atyrau, Pavlodar and Shymkent refineries and the coal and metals industry of Karaganda and Ekibastuz. Atyrau, 350 kilometres north of Tengiz, is the main transport hub for Tengiz oil, so road, rail and air links through Atyrau shape logistics for the western fields. An ATEX and IECEx cell phone distributor in Kazakhstan would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Kazakhstan 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.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. 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 | Kazakhstan: Kashagan and Bolashak, North Caspian, Karachaganak, West Kazakhstan, Pavlodar and Shymkent | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kazakhstan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The classified areas, operators and sites below are the ones covered in the SAMS Kazakhstan market guide.
The Tengiz field in Atyrau Region was discovered in 1979 and covers a licence area of 2,500 square kilometres on the low-lying wetland shore of the Caspian Sea.
Certificates for series production under the regulation can be valid for up to five years and carry the EAC mark together with an Ex marking, so supplier paperwork should show both.
Kashagan was discovered in 2000 in the northern Caspian near Atyrau and holds recoverable reserves of about 13 billion barrels, making it one of the largest discoveries of recent decades.
Kazakhstan applies TR CU 012/2011, the Eurasian Economic Union technical regulation, to equipment for explosive atmospheres; certification is mandatory and self-declaration is not allowed.
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 Kazakhstan. A Kazakh reviewer would expect IECEx evidence and then EAC Ex certification under TR CU 012/2011, which the sheet lists as planned after IECEx. ATEX evidence helps international operators and contractors. A dual route lets one pack serve the operator and visitors. No certificate has been issued.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Kazakhstan yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
The market guide for Kazakhstan covers Tengiz, Atyrau region, Atyrau, Kashagan and Bolashak, North Caspian, Karachaganak, West Kazakhstan, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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 Kazakhstan.
Sites such as Kashagan see temperatures from about minus 35 to 40 degrees Celsius, with winter sea ice, so check the operating temperature range, battery behaviour in cold and heat, and enclosure ingress protection. Confirm site limits with the operator before shipping devices.
High hydrogen sulphide levels at fields such as Kashagan mean sites usually apply strict gas-detection, personal monitor and escape-equipment rules, and may restrict what can be carried into process areas. Ask the operator for its induction requirements and approved portable-device list before arrival.
The IS-04Z1 has IP68 sealing, but cold affects any lithium battery. Ask for the datasheet's operating range and trial a unit on a winter round at a remote site. Site rules on charging and storing devices in safe areas still apply.
Other guides for Kazakhstan, other places in Kazakhstan, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.