Refinery
MRPL was established in 1988, is a subsidiary of ONGC and has a design capacity of 15 million tonnes a year, including a polypropylene unit.
Mangaluru is a port city in Karnataka with the 15 million tonne MRPL refinery at Katipalla, a petrochemical unit in the adjoining Mangalore Special Economic Zone, and an Indian strategic crude storage cavern. These create hazardous areas in processing and storage. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for Mangaluru (Mangalore), Karnataka, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Mangaluru (Mangalore), Karnataka: 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. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. 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 | Mangaluru (Mangalore), Karnataka: Refinery process units, Petrochemical aromatics and polypropylene units, Underground crude storage caverns | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Mangalore India. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
MRPL was established in 1988, is a subsidiary of ONGC and has a design capacity of 15 million tonnes a year, including a polypropylene unit.
The Mangalore SEZ covers about 1,600 acres, 15 km from the city off NH 66, and houses OMPL, a petrochemical unit with about 1 million tonnes a year of paraxylene capacity.
Humidity averages about 75 percent and peaks at around 93 percent in July, with a lowest average of about 56 percent in January.
Mangaluru has a tropical monsoon climate, with about 95 percent of annual rainfall from May to September and a very dry period from December to March.
The city is one of the locations of India's strategic petroleum reserves, which adds crude storage facilities to the area.
The new port opened in 1968, handles about 75 percent of India's coffee and cashew exports and is India's seventh-largest container port.
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 Mangaluru (Mangalore), Karnataka. Mangaluru has a refinery, a petrochemical unit in the special economic zone and a strategic crude storage facility, each with different owners and review teams. A dual ATEX and IECEx route helps contractors who work across them. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet, and both routes are in progress.
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.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, petrochemical aromatics and polypropylene units, underground crude storage caverns, marine terminal. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
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 refinery includes crude distillation, hydrocrackers, reformers and a polypropylene unit, with tank farms and port connections, all with classified areas defined by the operator. Request the area classification before entering.
The period from December to March is very dry, while 95 percent of the annual rain falls between May and September. Many operators schedule outdoor work accordingly.
No. They are run by different organisations, so each classifies its own areas and sets its own equipment rules. Confirm with MRPL and with the SEZ petrochemical operator separately. Approval at one does not imply approval at the other.
More on Mangalore India, and on other places in India.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.