Active development
ARC Resources has described Attachie near Fort St. John producing more than 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, including condensate.
The Montney Formation covers about 130,000 square kilometres of British Columbia and Alberta and is a major shale gas and tight oil resource. The Montney Formation covers about 130,000 km2 in western Canada and could produce about 449 trillion cubic feet of natural gas with modern technology, making it one of North America's largest gas resources. An ATEX and IECEx mobile phone distributor in Montney gas play would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Montney gas play 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. 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 | Montney gas play: Compressor stations, Condensate handling, Wellpads and wellheads | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Montney Gas Field. 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.
ARC Resources has described Attachie near Fort St. John producing more than 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, including condensate.
Gas from the Montney supplies LNG Canada via the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
Most of the gas lies in about 35,000 km2 on the Montney's west side, of which roughly 25,000 km2 of core areas are developed first because of better reservoir quality.
Average Montney wells ramp up over the first one to three months, peak and then decline steeply, so operators keep drilling and completing new wells to hold output, which sustains demand for field services.
Grande Prairie, a regional service hub, reports Montney output has doubled since 2012 and is a third of Western Canada's gas, projected to exceed half of national output by 2040.
A 2013 joint study by the National Energy Board, the BC Oil and Gas Commission and the Alberta Energy Regulator assessed the formation, and gas is produced in both provinces, so operators work under two regimes.
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 Montney gas play. A reviewer for a Montney producer, such as ARC Resources or Progress Energy Canada, would expect certificate evidence suited to wellpads, compressor stations and gas plants. A dual ATEX and IECEx route helps international partners in the ownership chain. The IS-04Z1 is in certification and no certificate has been issued.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Montney gas play 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.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated 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 wellpads and wellheads, gas processing plants, compressor stations, condensate handling. 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 Montney gas play.
Northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia have cold winters, so devices need low-temperature ratings and warm storage. Confirm the operator's winter equipment guidance and temperature class.
Mostly by field road from service hubs such as Grande Prairie, with winter and spring access depending on road conditions. Confirm access arrangements and vehicle rules for powered devices with the operator.
Not necessarily. The play spans two provinces and several operators, each with its own HSE approval. A manufacturer certificate would help, but operators decide what they accept. Confirm the jurisdiction and equipment approval requirements for each site, and ask each operator what documents it needs.
Other guides for Montney Gas Field, other places in Canada, and the pages behind them.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.