Port scale
Busan handled 24.4 million TEU in 2024 and is managed by the Busan Port Authority.
Busan is South Korea's busiest port and its second most populous city, at the mouth of the Nakdong River. Shipbuilding and ship repair are key local industries, so Zone 1 conditions arise in yards, fuel and chemical storage and cargo handling. An Ex-proof mobile phone distributor in Busan would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Busan has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Ex marking | Group, category, protection concept, gas group, temperature class | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 (target) |
| Gas group | IIA, IIB or IIC matched to the area drawing | IIC (target) |
| Temperature class | T-class below the ignition temperature of the gas | T4, 135 °C (target) |
| Where it applies | Busan: Fuel and chemical storage, Port cargo handling, Vessel tank spaces | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Busan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Busan handled 24.4 million TEU in 2024 and is managed by the Busan Port Authority.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction, formerly Hanjin Heavy Industries, is based at Yeongdo-gu in Busan.
The city's economy is about 76 percent services and 17 percent manufacturing, as the older manufacturing base has declined with the shift towards high-tech industry around Seoul.
Busan has South Korea's busiest port and the sixth busiest in the world, which handled 21.81 million container units in 2020, so equipment shipments can usually be arranged through frequent services.
The densest areas lie in narrow valleys between the Nakdong and Suyeong rivers, with mountains separating most districts, so industrial and port zones are spread along the coast rather than in one block.
The container terminal has 43 berths, 20 at the North Port and 23 at Busan New Port, which is described as a gateway to the Eurasian continent and a key point on the Maritime Silk Road.
“Ex-proof” is shorthand for equipment carrying an explosion-protection marking (the Ex mark) that matches the area it enters. The marking states the protection concept, gas or dust group and temperature class, and it must be backed by a certificate issued by a recognised body, so a phone described as Ex-proof should come with a certificate number you can check.
The IS-04Z1 is designed to carry the marking II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. That is a target: certification is in progress, no certificate has been issued, and SAMS will publish the certificate numbers when they exist.
In Busan. Zone 1 conditions arise in vessel tank spaces, ship repair yards, fuel and chemical storage and port cargo handling. A marking check would compare the label's gas group and temperature class with the product or cargo in question. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, not yet issued.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Busan yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. It becomes a marking only when the certificate is issued; until then it is a design target.
Likely candidates are vessel tank spaces, ship repair yards, fuel and chemical storage, port cargo handling. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Busan.
Korean is the working language at most sites, though the port area is used to foreign crews and visitors. Plan interpreters or Korean-language safety materials for local staff, and check that device interfaces and instructions can be provided in Korean.
Port tank terminals, ship repair and shipbuilding yards, and industrial plants in the wider south-east region can all have gas or vapour areas. Each operator sets its own zones and permits, so ask for classification drawings and portable-device policy.
Busan Port Authority manages the port and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) covers workplace safety. SAMS does not hold any approval from either. Ask the yard or terminal which rules it applies, and confirm with the site operator.
Related guides for Busan and for South Korea.
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.