Kuwait: geography and layout
Kuwait covers 17,820 square kilometres, about 200 km north to south and 170 km east to west, with 195 km of coastline.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe handset for people who cross into classified areas in Kuwait every shift: gathering centre operators, refinery crews, inspection engineers and the HSE and telecoms teams who equip them. This page sets out how an Ex-proof smartphone supply route to Kuwait will work for the IS-04Z1, and what is and is not available before launch.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An Ex-proof smartphone for Kuwait 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. 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 | Kuwait: Al-Zour, Shuaiba, Ahmadi | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kuwait. 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 Kuwait market guide.
Kuwait covers 17,820 square kilometres, about 200 km north to south and 170 km east to west, with 195 km of coastline.
Kuwait's Public Authority for Industry handles the safety registration route for electrical products, with a product registration that typically takes about a week.
CITRA type approval for wired and wireless equipment accepts CE marking and EU test standards, needs no local representative, normally takes about six weeks and lasts three years.
Summer daily highs average 42 to 46 degrees Celsius and the record is 54 degrees at Mitribah in July 2016, so heat is a constant factor for outdoor equipment.
“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 Kuwait. A marking check in Kuwait starts with the target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 read against the area classification drawing. T4 matters in a country with some of the hottest shade temperatures on earth, and the Zone 21 design target is relevant to fertiliser and minerals handling at Shuaiba. Gas group and detection practice for the northern sour gas facilities belong to the operator's drawings.
Nothing can be bought for Kuwait 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 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.
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.
The market guide for Kuwait covers Ahmadi, Greater Burgan, Mina Al-Ahmadi, Mina Abdullah, 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.
Greater Burgan in the south-east, with Magwa and Ahmadi sub-fields, around Al Ahmadi. Refineries at Mina Al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah are in the same coastal belt south of Kuwait City.
Yes, summer highs average 42 to 46 degrees Celsius and record 54. Use devices rated for high ambient temperature, and avoid leaving them in vehicles or direct sun.
IP68 sealing is designed to keep dust out, and the build is rugged. Heat is a separate question: the certified ambient range and T4 class are fixed by the certificate, which is not yet issued. Compare the published range with your site maximum, and confirm with the operator before planning summer use.
Related guides for Kuwait and for Kuwait.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.