Bahrain: industry on the ground
Industry accounted for about 43 percent of Bahrain's GDP in 2023 estimates.
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. Buyers searching for an Ex-proof smartphone supplier for Bahrain can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An Ex-proof smartphone for Bahrain cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted 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 | Bahrain: Al Dur and Al Ezzel, Bahrain Investment Wharf, Sitra | Classified by the site operator |

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.
The classified areas, operators and sites below are the ones covered in the SAMS Bahrain market guide.
Industry accounted for about 43 percent of Bahrain's GDP in 2023 estimates.
Most of Bahrain is low-lying barren desert surrounded by a shallow Gulf, so equipment faces salt air, sand and strong summer heat across the whole country.
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.
In 2018 Bapco commissioned a new pipeline to replace more than 70 years of old pipeline infrastructure between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“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.
Supply of the IS-04Z1 to Bahrain starts only after certification, through authorised distributors. Until then a buyer can request the datasheet and the written certification schedule, and arrange a safe-area evaluation unit, which puts the site on the list for the right local channel at launch.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
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.
The market guide for Bahrain covers Sitra, Askar, Hidd, Awali, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
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.
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.
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.
Other guides for Bahrain, 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.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.