India: rules and approvals
Telecom approvals involve TEC's MTCTE scheme, WPC Equipment Type Approval for radio equipment, BIS registration for electronics, and trusted-source designation for equipment connected to licensed networks.
The IS-04Z1 is designed for people who work inside classified areas at Indian refineries, gas plants, LNG jetties and API blocks: field operators, inspection engineers, shift in-charges, and the HSE and materials teams whose sign-off a device has to survive. If you are specifying an Ex-proof mobile phone for India, 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 India: 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | India: Jamnagar, Gujarat, Dahej and the Gujarat PCPIR, Hazira and Surat | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in India. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS India market guide covers.
Telecom approvals involve TEC's MTCTE scheme, WPC Equipment Type Approval for radio equipment, BIS registration for electronics, and trusted-source designation for equipment connected to licensed networks.
The Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat, commissioned in July 1999, now has installed capacity of 1.24 million barrels a day, the most at any single location in the world.
A July 2025 PESO procedure accepts an IECEx certificate with test report for all manufacturers, and EU-type examination certificates only from EU-based manufacturers.
PESO approval from the Chief Controller of Explosives is required for Ex electrical apparatus at petroleum, gas cylinder and pressure vessel premises, under rules such as the Petroleum Rules 2002.
“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 India. An Indian marking check would compare the device's gas group, temperature class and category with the zone plan at the refinery, gas plant or jetty. Hydrocarbon areas and offshore platforms may differ in their needs, set by the operator. The IS-04Z1 marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, and it is not yet granted.
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.
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.
The market guide for India covers Jamnagar, Gujarat, Dahej and the Gujarat PCPIR, Hazira and Surat, Vadodara, Koyali, Ankleshwar, 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.
Supplier guides list TEC's MTCTE scheme, WPC Equipment Type Approval for radio equipment, BIS registration and trusted-source designation for network equipment, each with its own scope. Which ones apply depends on the device, so check current requirements with the Department of Telecommunications or an agent.
A July 2025 procedure accepts an IECEx certificate of conformity with its test report from all manufacturers, and EU-type examination certificates from EU-based manufacturers only. Edition lists and document requirements change, so check the current PESO notice or ask a consultant before applying.
The IS-04Z1 has IP68 sealing, which helps with water and dust. That is an ingress rating only, and battery behaviour in heat and humidity is worth testing. Ask for the datasheet's operating ranges and trial a unit on a coastal site round.
More on India, and on other places in India.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.