Dispersed sites
The play extends through areas around Fort St. John and Dawson Creek in British Columbia and into Alberta, so facilities are spread over a wide area.
The Montney Formation covers about 130,000 square kilometres of British Columbia and Alberta and is a major shale gas and tight oil resource. Wellpads, compressor stations and gas plants across it contain classified areas. An Ex-proof mobile phone distributor in Montney gas play would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Montney gas play 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 | Montney gas play: Compressor stations, Condensate handling, Wellpads and wellheads | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Montney Gas Field. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
The play extends through areas around Fort St. John and Dawson Creek in British Columbia and into Alberta, so facilities are spread over a wide area.
ARC Resources has described Attachie near Fort St. John producing more than 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, including condensate.
Most of the gas lies in about 35,000 km2 on the Montney's west side, of which roughly 25,000 km2 of core areas are developed first because of better reservoir quality.
Average Montney wells ramp up over the first one to three months, peak and then decline steeply, so operators keep drilling and completing new wells to hold output, which sustains demand for field services.
The Montney Formation covers about 130,000 km2 in western Canada and could produce about 449 trillion cubic feet of natural gas with modern technology, making it one of North America's largest gas resources.
Grande Prairie, a regional service hub, reports Montney output has doubled since 2012 and is a third of Western Canada's gas, projected to exceed half of national output by 2040.
“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 Montney gas play. The play yields shale gas and condensate, so a marking check would compare the gas group and temperature class with the operator's data for the wellpad or plant. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, subject to certification. The operator would decide whether it suits each area.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Montney gas play. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device 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 wellpads and wellheads, gas processing plants, compressor stations, condensate 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 Montney gas play.
Northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia have cold winters, so devices need low-temperature ratings and warm storage. Confirm the operator's winter equipment guidance and temperature class.
Mostly by field road from service hubs such as Grande Prairie, with winter and spring access depending on road conditions. Confirm access arrangements and vehicle rules for powered devices with the operator.
Not necessarily. The play spans two provinces and several operators, each with its own HSE approval. A manufacturer certificate would help, but operators decide what they accept. Confirm the jurisdiction and equipment approval requirements for each site, and ask each operator what documents it needs.
Related guides for Montney Gas Field and for Canada.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.