Permian
The Permian is the highest-producing US oil field, at 4.2 million barrels a day in 2019, with Midland-based Diamondback among its operators.
US shale oil comes mainly from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico and the Bakken in North Dakota. Zone 1 work arises at drilling rigs, wellsites, tank batteries, compressor stations and gas gathering. An Ex-proof mobile phone distributor in US shale oil operations would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. US shale oil operations 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.
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.
| 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 | US shale oil operations: Compressor stations, Gas gathering and processing, Drilling rigs | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in US Shale Oil Operations. 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.
The Permian is the highest-producing US oil field, at 4.2 million barrels a day in 2019, with Midland-based Diamondback among its operators.
Bakken output rose through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, with North Dakota and Montana passing 1 million barrels a day in April 2014.
Private ownership of subsurface mineral rights in the United States makes it easier to lease land for drilling, which has encouraged a large number of independent operators.
The Permian, Eagle Ford and Bakken together produced about 93 percent of US tight oil in 2023, and US output reached 13.2 million barrels a day.
The Permian Basin alone is about 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, which shows how widely shale activity is spread.
The Permian Basin supplied about 46 percent of US domestic oil in 2023, while other tight oil plays accounted for a further 22 percent, based on figures from the US Energy Information Administration and Enverus.
“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 US shale oil operations. A marking check at a shale wellsite or gas gathering facility would compare zone, gas group and temperature class with the operator's classification. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, for Zone 1 gas. The operator decides what applies at each pad and facility.
A distributor for US shale oil operations would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
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.
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 drilling rigs, wellsites and tank batteries, compressor stations, gas gathering and processing. 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 US shale oil operations.
North Dakota has deep winter cold, West Texas has heat and dust, and the Gulf Coast side has humidity and hurricanes. Check a device's temperature, dust and water ratings against the specific region and season.
Wellpads, separators, tank batteries and compressors may contain flammable gas or vapour, and the operator defines classified areas. Operations are dispersed, so lone-worker safety and battery life are often as important as classification.
Fields are remote, with heat in West Texas and cold winters in North Dakota. Check the datasheet's temperature range once published, keep spare charged devices in safe areas, and trial the phone in your own climate. IP68 does not change battery behaviour at temperature extremes.
Other guides for US Shale Oil Operations, other places in United States, and the pages behind them.
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.