KazMunayGas is Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company, formed in 2002 and headquartered in Astana. It has upstream, transport and refining interests, including the Atyrau and Pavlodar refineries, a 50% stake in the Shymkent refinery and a 20% stake in Tengizchevroil. This page explains what to look for in an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for KazMunayGas, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for KazMunayGas: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 | KazMunayGas: Refinery process units, Oil and gas production facilities, Pipeline stations | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kazakhstan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. 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.
The group's refining and marketing business includes the Atyrau refinery, where a multi-billion-dollar modernisation plan and a deep oil refining complex were financed, so new process units bring fresh classified areas.
Two noted producing fields operated within the group are Uzenmunaigas and Embamunaigas, both in western Kazakhstan, which gives a practical picture of where field-level contractor work is concentrated.
KazTransGas handles gas transportation inside the group, which means compressor stations and gas pipeline sites form a separate hazardous-area workforce from the oilfield and refinery operations.
In January 2023 the company signed a strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports Company on marine fleet and coastal infrastructure in the Caspian and Black Seas, pointing to growing port and vessel activity.
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 KazMunayGas. A KazMunayGas reviewer would expect certificate evidence before a handheld enters a refinery process unit at Atyrau, Pavlodar or Shymkent. Since the group works with international partners and EPCs, a dual ATEX and IECEx route lets one product answer both families of paperwork. The IS-04Z1 is in certification and no certificate has been issued.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
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.
Tengizchevroil is a joint venture with international partners, so its contractors usually work to its own standards and induction process rather than to KazMunayGas rules alone. Treat the joint venture and the national company as separate customers and check each one's approved equipment requirements.
Refineries typically contain Zone 1 and Zone 2 gas areas around process units, loading and tank farms. Because a large modernisation programme added new units, area classification may have changed. Confirm the current zoning and permit-to-work practice with refinery HSE before deploying phones.
Very cold weather reduces battery capacity and can slow screens, while snow and dust are handled by IP68 sealing, which is not an explosion rating. Test the device at the lowest temperatures on your sites, keep spares warm and charge in safe areas. Check the operating range on the datasheet.
More on KazMunayGas, and on other places in Kazakhstan.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.
