Hot, arid climate
Summer temperatures reach about 45 C with little rainfall, so outdoor handsets face heat, dust and salt air.
Manama is the capital of Bahrain, on the north-east coast of Bahrain Island, with Mina Salman as the country's main commercial port. The port has an 800 metre finger pier with 10 berths, three 200 metre conventional berths and two 300 metre container berths, 11 metres deep. An ATEX and IECEx mobile phone distributor in Manama would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Manama 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 | Manama: Gas processing and LPG handling, LNG import and regasification (Hidd), Ship repair yards | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Manama. 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.
Summer temperatures reach about 45 C with little rainfall, so outdoor handsets face heat, dust and salt air.
Manama itself is mainly a financial and commercial city; classified areas are at Sitra, Mina Salman and Hidd rather than in the city centre.
Telecommunications equipment sold in Bahrain needs Telecommunications Regulatory Authority type approval, with certificates valid for three years.
Mina Salman port, inside Manama, covers 80 hectares, has been the primary cargo port and customs point since 1962, and handles over 75 percent of its cargo in containers.
Manama sits on the north-eastern coast of Bahrain Island on low-lying terrain, with reclaimed land extending the coastline in recent decades.
Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard, founded in 1977 by OAPEC member states, is based at Al Hidd in Bahrain and offers repair, hydro blasting, painting and conversion work.
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 Manama. A procurement or HSE reviewer around Manama would normally ask for certificate evidence before a handset enters Mina Salman, Sitra or Hidd. A dual ATEX and IECEx route is designed to help visiting contractors and ship-repair crews who carry paperwork between jurisdictions. No certificate has been issued for the IS-04Z1 yet; certification is in progress.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Manama 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 today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
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 (sitra), port fuel and cargo handling (mina salman), gas processing and lpg handling, lng import and regasification (hidd). 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 Manama.
Equipment needs TRA type approval, normally applied for by a Bahraini supplier, with a certificate valid for three years. Ask your distributor to confirm the approval number for the exact model.
Mostly no. The city centre is commercial, and the classified areas are at the port, fuel handling sites, ship repair yards and the refinery on Sitra. Ask the site operator which areas apply.
Usually not, because Manama is mainly a financial and commercial city and classified areas lie at Sitra, Mina Salman and Hidd. Whether a particular building, fuel point or yard is classified is decided by its operator, so confirm with the site operator before assuming either way.
More on Manama, and on other places in Bahrain.
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.