Norway: industry on the ground
Norway was the eighth largest crude oil exporter and the third largest natural gas exporter in 2011, with gas exports of 99 billion cubic metres, so gas processing and export terminals are major classified-area sites.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, from a wet deck in the northern North Sea to a winter round on the Barents coast. The Kårstø complex in Rogaland processes gas and condensate from North Sea fields such as Åsgard and Sleipner, and is Europe's largest export port for natural gas liquids, with propane stored in mountain halls. Distribution partners for Norway are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Norway 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. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. 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 | Norway: Kårstø, Kollsnes, Mongstad | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Norway. 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 Norway market guide.
Norway was the eighth largest crude oil exporter and the third largest natural gas exporter in 2011, with gas exports of 99 billion cubic metres, so gas processing and export terminals are major classified-area sites.
Equinor, formed by the 2007 merger of Statoil with Norsk Hydro's oil and gas division, is headquartered in Stavanger, with the Norwegian state as its largest shareholder at 67% as of 2017.
In 2024 the petroleum sector accounted for about 60% of export revenue and about 17% of GDP, so offshore installations and onshore terminals dominate the hazardous-area market.
Statoil built petrochemical processing plants at Rafnes and, with Norsk Hydro, at Mongstad in 1980, and became operator on the Gullfaks field in 1981, the first Norwegian company to do so.
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 Norway. A Norwegian HSE or procurement reviewer on the shelf would expect ATEX evidence, with IECEx alongside for international operators and contractors. Evidence should be precise enough to drop into the operator's documentation. A dual route helps firms such as Aibel and international partners moving between Norwegian and overseas work. Both programmes are running and no certificate is issued.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Norway. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device 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.
The market guide for Norway covers Stavanger and Sola, Bergen and Flesland, Kårstø, Kollsnes, 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 Norway.
Norway applies ATEX through the European Economic Area agreement, and operators commonly accept IECEx as well. Offshore, each installation adds its own rules for equipment approval and for use of wireless devices. Ask the operator for the approved equipment procedure before shipping devices.
Ask which equipment marking is required, whether wireless devices need a radio permit onboard, how devices are registered and tagged, and whether English documents are accepted. Offshore installations often require pre-approval before devices are shipped by helicopter or supply vessel.
IP68 sealing and a rugged build are designed for wet and cold work, but the ambient range is fixed by the certificate, which is not yet issued and will be published with the datasheet. Compare that range with your coldest site conditions and confirm with the operator before use.
Other guides for Norway, other places in Norway, 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.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.