Pakistan: logistics and access
Port Qasim near Karachi handles about 35% of Pakistan's cargo, roughly 17 million tonnes a year, and with Karachi port carries almost 90% of external trade, so most imported equipment clears through these two ports.
A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on the gas fields of Sindh and Balochistan, the refineries at Karachi, Attock and Mahmood Kot, the LNG terminals at Port Qasim and the fertiliser plants. This page sets out how an Ex-proof smartphone supply route to Pakistan 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 Pakistan 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. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. 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 | Pakistan: Hub, Balochistan, Mahmood Kot, Muzaffargarh, Sui, Balochistan | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Pakistan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS Pakistan market guide covers.
Port Qasim near Karachi handles about 35% of Pakistan's cargo, roughly 17 million tonnes a year, and with Karachi port carries almost 90% of external trade, so most imported equipment clears through these two ports.
Five main refineries have a combined capacity of about 450,000 barrels a day, producing diesel, motor gasoline, furnace oil, jet fuel, kerosene, LPG and naphtha, so product storage and loading areas are widespread.
The Thar coalfield in Sindh covers over 9,000 square kilometres and holds an estimated 200 billion tonnes of lignite; the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company is the principal mining operator there.
The Toot oil field in Punjab, about 135 km south-west of Islamabad, saw its first well in 1964 and commercial production from 1967, showing that upstream work also happens in the inland north.
“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 Pakistan. A marking check in Pakistan compares II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 with the area classification. Natural gas, LNG and refinery service is mostly Group IIA, with IIB on some process units, so an IIC marking target covers those. Fertiliser plants at Daharki and Mirpur Mathelo add dust questions, and the certified ambient range must be checked against site maximum.
There is no stock to order for Pakistan yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, certification is in progress, and supply will run through authorised distributors after the certificates are issued. Procurement teams can prepare now with the datasheet, the certification schedule and a safe-area evaluation.
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 Pakistan covers Sui, Balochistan, Daharki and Ghotki, Sindh, Port Qasim, Karachi, Korangi, Karachi, 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.
Examples include the Sui gas area in Balochistan, the Toot field in Punjab, Lower Sindh gas fields and the five main refineries. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is decided by each operator, so ask for its hazardous-area drawings.
Operators commonly ask for recognised international certification such as IECEx or ATEX against IEC 60079, but acceptance is set site by site. Request the operator's equipment approval procedure and provide certificates, marking details and manufacturer instructions with your submission.
Coverage depends on the carrier, not the handset. The device is designed to fall back to plant Wi-Fi where the signal is thin, but that depends on the site's network. Confirm with the field operator what connectivity is available before relying on it for work orders.
More on Pakistan, and on other places in Pakistan.
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.