CNRL: people and language
The company was reported to have 9,709 employees in 2021, and average production was about 1.57 million barrels of oil equivalent a day in 2025, indicating a large multi-site workforce.
CNRL · ATEX and IECEx
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone for CNRL
CNRL is a Calgary-based oil and gas producer, founded in 1973, and is Canada's largest heavy crude oil producer. It operates the Horizon oil sands mining and upgrading project about 75 km north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, and the Athabasca Oil Sands Project acquired in 2017. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for CNRL, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicATEX and IECEx
DeviceMobile Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereCNRL
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for CNRL: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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.
At a glance · ATEX and IECEx
Checklist: ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for CNRL
| 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 | CNRL: Oil sands mining and upgrading units, Oil and gas production facilities, Gas processing | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Canada
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Canada. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The organisation · CNRL
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) and the IS-04Z1
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
Sites and areas
- Horizon oil sands (north of Fort McMurray)
- Athabasca Oil Sands Project
- Alberta heavy oil and gas operations
Classified areas
- Oil sands mining and upgrading units
- Oil and gas production facilities
- Gas processing
Supplier approval · CNRL
Supplier registration at CNRL
CNRL uses ISNetworld (ISN) for health, safety and environment qualification; businesses register through the prospective suppliers page, and all contractors must ultimately qualify with ISN to work for CNRL. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
Field notes · CNRL
More about CNRL that matters for portable equipment
CNRL: industry on the ground
The Horizon Oil Sands project lies about 75 km north of Fort McMurray and includes surface oil sands mining, a bitumen extraction plant and bitumen upgrading, with production starting in early 2009.
CNRL: infrastructure
It owns two operated pipeline systems and an electricity cogeneration facility, and holds a 50% interest in the North West Redwater Partnership, which broadens its hazardous areas to include pipelines and a bitumen refinery.
CNRL: background
Founded in 1973 as AEX Minerals Corporation and renamed in 1975, it grew through acquisitions of Canadian assets, including Anadarko's Canadian operations in 2006 and Devon's conventional assets in 2014.
The term · ATEX and IECEx
What “ATEX and IECEx” means for a smartphone
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 CNRL. A CNRL reviewer assessing a handset for Horizon, the Athabasca Oil Sands Project or Alberta gas plants would expect to see certificate evidence in the form the site uses. ATEX and IECEx are international routes that help contractors and EPCs bringing equipment from outside North America. The IS-04Z1 is in certification and nothing has been issued.
The route · specification
Specifying an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for CNRL
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · CNRL
Frequently asked questions
Can CNRL buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for CNRL cost?
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.
Is the IS-04Z1 ATEX and IECEx certified?
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
How does CNRL approve suppliers?
CNRL uses ISNetworld (ISN) for health, safety and environment qualification; businesses register through the prospective suppliers page, and all contractors must ultimately qualify with ISN to work for CNRL.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Which standard applies to hazardous-area phones at Canadian oil sands sites?
Canada uses its own classification and approval system, typically Class, Division or Zone markings accepted through Canadian certification bodies, rather than ATEX alone. Confirm with Canadian Natural and its site electrical authority which certification marks they accept for portable devices before supply.
Where would handheld devices be used on an oil sands upgrader?
Typical Zone 1 or Zone 2 or Division 1 or 2 locations include upgrader process units, hydrocarbon storage, loading areas and pipeline stations, while mine and camp areas are usually non-classified. Zoning is site-specific, so request the area classification drawings from the operator.
How does a business qualify to work for CNRL?
CNRL uses ISNetworld for health, safety and environment qualification. Businesses register through the prospective suppliers page, and all contractors must ultimately qualify with ISN to work for CNRL. Confirm current steps with CNRL. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet, so any evaluation unit needs site approval first.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Related guides for CNRL and for Canada.
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone for CNRLSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for CNRLSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone for CNRLSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for CNRLSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for SuncorElsewhere in Canada
Canada market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for CanadaEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · CNRL
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for CNRL, Canada
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Enquiry · CNRL
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for CNRL?
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.