United States: industry on the ground
The Permian also yields potash, mined by the room-and-pillar method in Lea and Eddy counties in New Mexico, which adds mining and mineral-dust hazards to the oil and gas activity.
The IS-04Z1 is built for people who work inside classified locations at American refineries, gas plants, terminals and wellsites, and for the HSE and IT teams who decide what goes through the gate. The National Electrical Code covers hazardous locations in Article 500 for the Class and Division system and in Articles 505 and 506 for the Zone system, as adopted by each state or authority. An ATEX and IECEx cell phone distributor in United States would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. United States 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.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. 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 | United States: Beaumont and Port Arthur, Lake Charles and Calcasieu, Baton Rouge corridor | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in United States. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS United States market guide.
The Permian also yields potash, mined by the room-and-pillar method in Lea and Eddy counties in New Mexico, which adds mining and mineral-dust hazards to the oil and gas activity.
For Zone approval the ANSI/UL and ANSI/ISA 60079 series apply, and ordinary-location electrical safety standards such as ANSI/UL 61010 must also be met.
The Permian Basin in West Texas and south-eastern New Mexico covers more than 86,000 square miles and extends about 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, so sites are spread over a very large area.
The Permian is the highest-producing US oil field, averaging 4.2 million barrels of crude a day in 2019, with Midland, Odessa and San Angelo serving as headquarters towns.
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 United States. A US procurement or HSE reviewer would expect NEC 500 evidence first, with NRTL listing as the recognisable marker, since the sheet describes the Class I Division 1 programme as in progress. Carrying ATEX and IECEx as well helps international operators and EPCs, such as those building and turning around Gulf Coast plants. No certificate has been issued.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for United States 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.
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.
The market guide for United States covers Permian Basin, Houston Ship Channel, Beaumont and Port Arthur, Lake Charles and Calcasieu, 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 United States.
Not on its own. US workplace rules accept equipment approved by an OSHA-recognised NRTL and marked accordingly, and ATEX or IECEx certificates are not accepted in their place. Manufacturers usually need a separate US listing, so check the NRTL mark and the Class, Division or Zone marking on any device.
Both exist. Article 500 of the National Electrical Code defines the Class and Division system, and Articles 505 and 506 define Zones. Many existing refineries and gas plants are still classified by Division, so confirm which system the area drawing uses before selecting equipment markings.
IP68 sealing and a rugged build are aimed at August heat and January cold, and the 4,000 mAh battery at a shift away from the truck. The approved ambient range will come from the certificate, which is in progress, so confirm it for both extremes.
More on United States, and on other places in United States.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.