LNG link
Gas from the Montney supplies LNG Canada via the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
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. Wellpads, compressor stations and gas plants across it contain classified areas. This page explains what to look for in an Ex-proof mobile phone for Montney gas play, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Montney gas play: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 | Montney gas play: Wellpads and wellheads, Gas processing plants, Compressor stations | 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.
Gas from the Montney supplies LNG Canada via the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
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.
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.
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.
A 2013 joint study by the National Energy Board, the BC Oil and Gas Commission and the Alberta Energy Regulator assessed the formation, and gas is produced in both provinces, so operators work under two regimes.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
Hydrogen sulphide is a toxic hazard rather than an Ex rating, but sour sites add gas detection, breathing apparatus and rules for devices. Confirm requirements with the operator's induction team and ensure your device meets zone and gas group needs.
Typically wellpads, gas gathering, compressor stations and gas plants with flammable natural gas, and some sites with condensate or sour gas. Classified areas vary by facility, so request the operator's classification drawing before bringing equipment.
Yes, gas from the Montney supplies LNG Canada through the Coastal GasLink pipeline. That link does not change the area classification at a wellpad, which the producing operator decides. A handset would still need to match the zone, gas group and temperature class assigned for that location. Ask the operator for the area data.
Other guides for Montney Gas Field, other places in Canada, 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.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.