Climate
Hot, humid climate with high summer temperatures.
UAE handsets need federal type approval, which accepts European documents; certificates are renewed every three years and the new type approval mark applies from 2023. The emirate also has the Hamriyah Free Zone and SAIF Zone, with smaller classified areas at industrial sites. If you are specifying an Ex-proof mobile phone for Sharjah, 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 Sharjah: 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. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. 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 | Sharjah: Gas processing plant, Gas and condensate pipelines and storage, Marine terminals | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Sharjah. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Hot, humid climate with high summer temperatures.
SNOC operates the Sajaa assets: four producing gas fields, a hydrocarbon processing complex, two marine terminals and a subsurface gas storage field.
On 1 January 2022 Sharjah's public sector adopted a four-day working week with a three-day weekend, a first in the Gulf, so timing for government approvals and meetings needs to be checked.
The Saja'a Industrial Investment Park covers 750,000 square metres as a bonded logistics area linked by a road to Emirates Road and the three seaports.
Gulftainer manages Sharjah Container Terminal, Khorfakkan Commercial Terminal and the Sharjah and Sajaa dry ports, so port and yard rules vary by terminal.
The city is a centre for industry and contributes about 7.4 per cent of the UAE's GDP, so industrial sites are numerous and varied.
“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 Sharjah. A marking check at Sajaa or a port fuel area would compare zone, gas group and temperature class with the marking. Gas and condensate pipelines and storage may be Zone 1. The IS-04Z1 target, II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, is in progress; SNOC and tenants set their own acceptance rules.
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 gas processing plant, gas and condensate pipelines and storage, marine terminals, port fuel 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.
Both. Sharjah's gas processing and storage are run by the emirate's national oil company, while many smaller factories, ports and free zones add classified areas on a smaller scale. Check each tenant's rules, as Sharjah has no single operator for everything.
By the E11 Al Ittihad Road or the E611 Emirates Road, both of which connect the two cities and are often busy. Allow extra time in peak hours, and book site access in advance, since many industrial estates and ports require passes.
SNOC and free-zone tenants set their own equipment requirements, and SAIF Zone alone hosts more than 6,000 companies. There is no single rule for every site. Ask the specific tenant or operator's HSE team what evidence a phone needs before use in a classified area.
Related guides for Sharjah and for United Arab Emirates.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.