NNPC: geography and layout
Operations are managed through strategic business units spread across Nigeria, with zonal offices in the oil-producing south and the north, so a buyer should identify which unit and location actually controls the site.
NNPC Ltd is Nigeria's national oil company, converted into a limited liability company in 2022 under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. It manages joint ventures with international oil companies and has refining, pipeline, gas and petrochemical interests. This page explains what to look for in an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for NNPC, 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 NNPC: 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. 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 | NNPC: Refinery process units, Oil and gas production facilities, Pipelines and storage | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Nigeria. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
Suppliers and contractors register on the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX), which is linked to NNPC tendering and vendor pre-qualification; local-content registration with the regulator and NCDMB is also required for work in the sector. Confirm current requirements with NNPC. 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.
Operations are managed through strategic business units spread across Nigeria, with zonal offices in the oil-producing south and the north, so a buyer should identify which unit and location actually controls the site.
NNPC delivered its first delivered-ex-ship LNG cargo to Futtsu in Japan in June 2024, showing an export chain that runs from Nigerian gas fields through liquefaction to ships.
NNPC was converted from a corporation into a limited liability company in July 2022 under the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, so it now runs as a commercial entity rather than a ministry-style body.
In September 2022 NNPC took over Oando's OVH Energy business and its 380 filling stations, adding retail fuel sites, where forecourt hazardous areas also apply.
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 NNPC. An NNPC reviewer would expect certificate evidence before a handheld enters refinery process units or oil and gas production facilities. Joint ventures with international oil companies and EPC contractors are common, so 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.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
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.
Suppliers and contractors register on the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX), which is linked to NNPC tendering and vendor pre-qualification; local-content registration with the regulator and NCDMB is also required for work in the sector. Confirm current requirements with NNPC.
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.
NNPC works through business units and joint ventures, so the entry point depends on the site. Typically you identify the unit (upstream, gas, refining or retail), contact its HSE and procurement teams, and ask for current approved-vendor requirements. Confirm the route with NNPC itself before quoting.
Fuel dispensing areas generally have classified zones around pumps, vent pipes and tank fill points, usually Zone 1 or Zone 2 with defined radii. Local rules apply, so confirm the station's area classification and any phone-use policy with the retail operator before deploying devices.
Heat and humidity reduce battery life, and IP68 sealing helps with rain and dust but is not explosion protection. Plan charging in safe areas, keep spare batteries, and test in local conditions. Ask each site's HSE team how portable devices may be charged and stored.
Other guides for NNPC, other places in Nigeria, and the pages behind them.
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.