Bahrain: rules and approvals
Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority issues type approval certificates valid for three years, with test reports based on the EU Radio Equipment Directive, and a Bahraini supplier submits the application.
Bahrain · Ex-proof
Ex-Proof Smartphone in Bahrain
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe handset for people who cross into classified areas in Bahrain every shift: refinery and gas-plant operators, smelter potroom crews, inspection engineers and the HSE and telecoms teams who equip them. This page explains what to look for in an Ex-proof smartphone for Bahrain, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicEx-proof
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereBahrain
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Bahrain: 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.
At a glance · Ex-proof
Checklist: Ex-proof smartphone for Bahrain
| 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 | Bahrain: Sitra, Askar, Hidd | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Bahrain
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Bahrain. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The market · Bahrain
Where an Ex phone is used in Bahrain
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Bahrain market guide.
Operators, EPCs and contractors
- Bapco Energies
- Bahrain Petroleum Company — the Sitra refinery and the onshore Bahrain Field
- Alba
- Aluminium Bahrain — smelter, six potlines and casthouse at Askar
- Banagas
- Bahrain National Gas Company — gas processing, with LPG storage and export at Sitra
- Tatweer Petroleum
- Onshore field development and enhanced oil recovery operator
- GARMCO
- Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company — rolling mill at Hidd
- National Oil and Gas Authority
- NOGA — sector regulator and Bapco’s parent authority
Industrial areas and sites
- Sitra
- Bapco refinery, tank farm, product jetties and LPG storage and loading
- Askar
- Alba smelter: potlines, casthouse and carbon plant
- Hidd
- GARMCO rolling mill and the Hidd power and desalination complex
- Awali
- Bahrain Field wellheads and the original Bapco operations base
- Al Dur and Al Ezzel
- Independent power and water plants on the southern coast
- Bahrain Investment Wharf
- Hidd-area industrial port and logistics zone
Field notes · Bahrain
More about Bahrain that matters for portable equipment
Bahrain: infrastructure
In 2018 Bapco commissioned a new pipeline to replace more than 70 years of old pipeline infrastructure between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain: who works there
Since 2023 Bapco Energies groups Bapco with Banagas, Tawseah, Bafco, Tatweer Petroleum and the Tazweed retail company, giving buyers one family of energy operators to approach.
Bahrain: industry on the ground
Alba began in 1971 as the first aluminium smelter in the Middle East and now has about 1.6 million tonnes a year of capacity, powered by natural gas.
The term · Ex-proof
What “Ex-proof” means for a smartphone
“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 Bahrain. A marking check in Bahrain would start with the temperature class, which an instrumentation engineer checks first, then gas group and ambient range. Summer heat combines with coastal humidity, which is harder on a sealed enclosure than dry heat. The target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, with Zone 21 dust handled separately.
The route · specification
Specifying an Ex-proof smartphone for Bahrain
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · Bahrain
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy an Ex-proof smartphone in Bahrain today?
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.
What does an Ex-proof smartphone in Bahrain cost?
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
What Ex marking will the IS-04Z1 carry?
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.
Which sites in Bahrain does this cover?
The market guide for Bahrain covers Sitra, Askar, Hidd, Awali, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Do phones sold in Bahrain need TRA approval?
Yes. Telecommunications equipment imported into Bahrain is subject to TRA type approval, and a certificate normally lasts three years. The application is made through a Bahraini supplier, and the TRA has just released version 1.1 of its technical specifications, so check current requirements.
Is Bahrain small enough to cover all sites from one base?
The country is about 694 square kilometres and Bahrain Island is only 48 km long, so Manama is within short road distance of Sitra and the main industrial areas. Site access, not distance, is usually the planning constraint.
Can the camera be used inside Bahrain plants?
Photography often runs on permit at Bahraini sites. Android 16 with EMM and MDM lets the camera policy and corporate profile be set centrally, so the camera can be restricted or allowed per site. The 50 MP camera is a feature, not a right of use. Check the permit rules with the site operator.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Related guides for Bahrain and for Bahrain.
Rugged Mobile Phone Distributor in BahrainSame place, different guide
Industrial Mobile Phone Distributor in BahrainSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone in BahrainSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in BahrainSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Distributor in BahrainSame place, different guide
Hazardous Area Mobile Phone in BahrainSame place, different guide
Bahrain market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for BahrainEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Bahrain
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Bahrain
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · Bahrain
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Bahrain?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.