France: infrastructure
Nuclear power produces around 70% of France's electricity from 56 active reactors in 2023, so large plant outages bring many contractors to a small number of sites.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, aimed at the refineries, chemical platforms and LNG terminals that make up the French Seveso estate. This page explains what to look for in an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for France, 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 France: 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 | France: Gonfreville-l'Orcher, Port-Jérôme, Donges | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in France. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS France market guide.
Nuclear power produces around 70% of France's electricity from 56 active reactors in 2023, so large plant outages bring many contractors to a small number of sites.
Le Havre is France's second-largest commercial port by tonnage and its largest for containers, managed since 2008 by the state agency Grand Port Maritime du Havre, a key entry point for imported equipment.
Hydropower has 20 GW of installed capacity and supplies around 10% of French electricity, and renewables provided 26% of national consumption in 2022.
The Lacq gas field in Nouvelle-Aquitaine was discovered in 1950 and began production in 1958; its sour gas comes from about 4,000 metres depth.
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 France. A French reviewer on a Seveso plateforme would expect ATEX evidence tied to the declared zones, along with the documentation the site requires under its authorisation. IECEx papers help international EPCs and contractors who work on French platforms and elsewhere. A dual route could let one pack serve both. Certification is in progress; no certificate exists yet.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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.
The market guide for France covers Gonfreville-l'Orcher, Port-Jérôme, Donges, Montoir-de-Bretagne, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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.
The Fos-sur-Mer and Marseille coast combines a gas terminal, steel, chemistry and oil industries, and the country also has many nuclear and hydro sites. Details of individual plants and zones come from each operator, so request their site layout and approval procedure.
Yes, as an EU member France applies ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU to equipment and zoning under Directive 1999/92/EC. Zone 1 or Zone 2 devices should carry CE and Ex markings with instructions in French. Operators usually add their own approval and permit rules.
Android lets the interface language be set per user, and a fleet can be managed through EMM or MDM. Confirm the exact language support and any locked configuration on the datasheet. Contractor crews often prefer a common set-up agreed before a shutdown.
More on France, and on other places in France.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.