India: rules and approvals
Telecom approvals involve TEC's MTCTE scheme, WPC Equipment Type Approval for radio equipment, BIS registration for electronics, and trusted-source designation for equipment connected to licensed networks.
The IS-04Z1 is designed for people who work inside classified areas at Indian refineries, gas plants, LNG jetties and API blocks: field operators, inspection engineers, shift in-charges, and the HSE and materials teams whose sign-off a device has to survive. Buyers searching for an Ex-proof smartphone supplier for India 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 India 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.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | India: Mumbai and the offshore basin, Panipat and Mathura, Jamnagar, Gujarat | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in India. 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 India market guide.
Telecom approvals involve TEC's MTCTE scheme, WPC Equipment Type Approval for radio equipment, BIS registration for electronics, and trusted-source designation for equipment connected to licensed networks.
The Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat, commissioned in July 1999, now has installed capacity of 1.24 million barrels a day, the most at any single location in the world.
A July 2025 PESO procedure accepts an IECEx certificate with test report for all manufacturers, and EU-type examination certificates only from EU-based manufacturers.
PESO approval from the Chief Controller of Explosives is required for Ex electrical apparatus at petroleum, gas cylinder and pressure vessel premises, under rules such as the Petroleum Rules 2002.
“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 India. An Indian marking check would compare the device's gas group, temperature class and category with the zone plan at the refinery, gas plant or jetty. Hydrocarbon areas and offshore platforms may differ in their needs, set by the operator. The IS-04Z1 marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, and it is not yet granted.
Nothing can be bought for India today: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, and SAMS will supply end users through authorised distributors once certificates exist. What a buyer can do now is take the specification, ask for the written certification schedule and arrange a safe-area evaluation, so that the right local channel contacts you 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 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.
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.
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 India covers Jamnagar, Gujarat, Dahej and the Gujarat PCPIR, Hazira and Surat, Vadodara, Koyali, Ankleshwar, 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.
Supplier guides list TEC's MTCTE scheme, WPC Equipment Type Approval for radio equipment, BIS registration and trusted-source designation for network equipment, each with its own scope. Which ones apply depends on the device, so check current requirements with the Department of Telecommunications or an agent.
A July 2025 procedure accepts an IECEx certificate of conformity with its test report from all manufacturers, and EU-type examination certificates from EU-based manufacturers only. Edition lists and document requirements change, so check the current PESO notice or ask a consultant before applying.
The IS-04Z1 has IP68 sealing, which helps with water and dust. That is an ingress rating only, and battery behaviour in heat and humidity is worth testing. Ask for the datasheet's operating ranges and trial a unit on a coastal site round.
More on India, and on other places in India.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.