City versus plant
Manama itself is mainly a financial and commercial city; classified areas are at Sitra, Mina Salman and Hidd rather than in the city centre.
Manama is the capital and largest city, with an estimated population of about 743,000 in 2025, so contractor and technician supply is deep compared with other Bahraini sites. Zone 1 and Zone 21 work around the city relates to port fuel handling, ship repair and the oil, gas and refining sites on the island. If you are specifying an Ex-proof smartphone for Manama, 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 Manama: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. 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 | Manama: Port fuel and cargo handling (Mina Salman), Gas processing and LPG handling, LNG import and regasification (Hidd) | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Manama. 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.
Manama itself is mainly a financial and commercial city; classified areas are at Sitra, Mina Salman and Hidd rather than in the city centre.
Bahrain is a small island state, so the capital, the port and the industrial areas are close together, which shortens service and delivery times.
Telecommunications equipment sold in Bahrain needs Telecommunications Regulatory Authority type approval, with certificates valid for three years.
Mina Salman port, inside Manama, covers 80 hectares, has been the primary cargo port and customs point since 1962, and handles over 75 percent of its cargo in containers.
Manama sits on the north-eastern coast of Bahrain Island on low-lying terrain, with reclaimed land extending the coastline in recent decades.
The port has an 800 metre finger pier with 10 berths, three 200 metre conventional berths and two 300 metre container berths, 11 metres deep.
“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 Manama. A marking check near Mina Salman port fuel handling or LNG regasification at Hidd would start with the equipment protection level and zone suitability, then gas group and temperature class against the operator's area classification. The IS-04Z1 marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, which remains a target until certified.
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.
Likely candidates are refinery process units (sitra), port fuel and cargo handling (mina salman), gas processing and lpg handling, lng import and regasification (hidd). 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.
Ship repair at yards such as ASRY involves tank entry, painting and hydro blasting, which can create temporary Zone 1 conditions inside vessel spaces. Yard safety teams issue permits and gas-free certificates before work starts.
Fuel and chemical cargo handling, tank areas and vessel work can create temporary classified zones, while container yards are mostly safe. Port operators set permits for each vessel and berth.
Summer temperatures reach about 45 C, and dust and salt air add to the load. Ambient temperature limits form part of an Ex marking, so check them against the final certificate when issued. IP68 helps against dust and splashes but does not replace explosion protection. Keep devices out of parked vehicles.
Other guides for Manama, other places in Bahrain, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.