North Oil Company: projects and investment
bp's contractor company for Kirkuk has agreed terms for ConocoPhillips to take 42 per cent, subject to approvals, so contractor and supplier arrangements may change during 2026.
North Oil Company · ATEX and IECEx
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone for North Oil Company
North Oil Company is a state-owned Iraqi company under the Ministry of Oil, headquartered in Kirkuk. It operates the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, and a redevelopment contract for these fields was signed with bp in 2025. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for North Oil Company, 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
WhereNorth Oil Company
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for North Oil Company: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. 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 North Oil Company
| 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 | North Oil Company: Oil production facilities, Gas plants, Pipeline stations | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Iraq
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 Iraq. 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 · North Oil Company
Working with North Oil Company (NOC): sites and classified areas
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
Sites and areas
- Kirkuk (Baba and Avanah domes)
- Bai Hassan field
- Jambur field
- Khabbaz field
Classified areas
- Oil production facilities
- Gas plants
- Pipeline stations
Supplier approval · North Oil Company
Becoming an approved supplier to North Oil Company
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.
Field notes · North Oil Company
More about North Oil Company that matters for portable equipment
North Oil Company: projects and investment
The development and production contract covers an initial recovery of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent from the Baba and Avanah domes of Kirkuk and the Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields.
North Oil Company: rules and approvals
Iraq's Communications and Media Commission handles type approval for radio equipment, with procedures following EU-style compliance and usually working through local registered partners.
North Oil Company: background
bp's activity in Iraq goes back to the 1920s, when it helped locate, produce and export oil from Baba Gurgur at Kirkuk, then the largest oilfield in the world.
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 North Oil Company. A reviewer at North Oil Company would expect certificate evidence before a handheld enters the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur or Khabbaz facilities. With a redevelopment contract signed with bp in 2025, international contractors and EPCs are likely to work alongside the company, so a dual ATEX and IECEx route can serve both sets of paperwork. IS-04Z1 certification is in progress; no certificate exists.
The route · specification
Specifying an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for North Oil Company
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 · North Oil Company
Frequently asked questions
Can North Oil Company buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for North Oil Company cost?
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.
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 North Oil Company approve suppliers?
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
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.
Who currently operates the Kirkuk fields?
North Oil Company and North Gas Company are the current operators, and a planned transition would move operatorship to an unincorporated organisation made up mainly of their personnel. Supplier registration and equipment approval therefore stay with the Iraqi state companies; check current requirements with them.
What is the Kirkuk redevelopment contract?
A development and production contract covering the Baba and Avanah domes of Kirkuk and the Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, with an initial resource of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent. It means ongoing upgrades alongside operating plant, with many contractors on site.
Is the redevelopment contract likely to change who approves equipment?
It may bring international contractors with their own standards onto the northern fields, but equipment approval is still run by North Oil Company itself. Ask its procurement and HSE teams which paperwork they require, and do not assume a contractor's approval applies. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on North Oil Company, and on other places in Iraq.
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Supplier for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for Basra Oil CompanyElsewhere in Iraq
Iraq market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for IraqEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · North Oil Company
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for North Oil Company, Iraq
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · North Oil Company
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for North Oil Company?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.