Thailand: logistics and access
Around 79.5% of crude oil supply is imported; domestic oil production peaked in 2016 at 486,000 barrels a day, so port, tank farm and pipeline terminals handle much of the flow.
A Zone 1 and Zone 21 handset for the people inside the Thai petrochemical cluster: shift operators on the Map Ta Phut crackers, reliability engineers at Sriracha, jetty and tank farm crews along the Rayong coast, and the safety and IT departments that rule on what passes a gate. The Erawan gas field in the Gulf of Thailand supplies about 20% of the country's gas production, which makes it an important reference point for offshore device and transport planning. Distribution partners for Thailand are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Thailand has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Protection concept | Flameproof (Ex d) or intrinsic safety (Ex i) | Intrinsic safety, level ib |
| Zone suitability | Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust | Design target for Zone 1 and 21 |
| Certificate | Number, issuing body and schedule of conditions | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Thailand: Sriracha, Chonburi, Laem Chabang, Chachoengsao | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Thailand. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Thailand market guide.
Around 79.5% of crude oil supply is imported; domestic oil production peaked in 2016 at 486,000 barrels a day, so port, tank farm and pipeline terminals handle much of the flow.
Map Ta Phut in Rayong, opened in 1990 and run by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, is the largest industrial estate in the country, with 151 factories including petrochemical plants and refineries across about 166 square kilometres.
Gas supply is topped up with LNG imports and pipeline gas from Myanmar (6.2 and 7.8 billion cubic metres respectively in 2018), so LNG regasification and receiving stations are part of the hazardous-area picture.
Natural gas makes up about 27% of Thailand's total energy supply and fuels roughly 64% of electricity generation, so gas processing, pipelines and power plants dominate classified-area work.
“Explosion proof” is the phrase most buyers use for equipment that may be taken into a classified hazardous area. Strictly, it covers several protection concepts: a flameproof enclosure (Ex d) contains an internal explosion, while intrinsic safety (Ex i) limits electrical energy so that an ignition cannot start. Phones are normally intrinsically safe, because a flameproof handset would be too heavy to carry all shift.
The IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, with a marking target of Ex ib IIC T4, and is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued.
In Thailand. Explosion-proof is the everyday phrase, but the Map Ta Phut crackers, reformers and tank farms hold different atmospheres. Flameproof Ex d suits fixed enclosures, while the IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety to limit the energy of a handheld. A reviewer asks which concept applies to a device carried across the estates.
A distributor for Thailand would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
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.
It is intrinsically safe (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), which is the usual way to make a phone for hazardous areas. It is not a flameproof (Ex d) design, and certification is still in progress.
The market guide for Thailand covers Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, Rayong industrial estates, Sriracha, Chonburi, Laem Chabang, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Thailand.
Many operators, particularly those with international ownership, work to IEC 60079 and accept IECEx or ATEX paperwork, but this is decided by each site's own safety procedure. Ask for the approved equipment list and supply the certificate and marking details with your request.
Gas processing plants, pipeline stations, LNG receiving terminals, power stations using gas and offshore platforms are typical examples, given that gas fuels about 64% of electricity. Zone classification is site specific, so request the hazardous-area layout drawings.
The sheet describes certification under way with IECEx, the TISI and the NBTC route. None has been issued yet. A buyer should ask for the schedule and check the final certificates against site and regulator requirements before use.
More on Thailand, and on other places in Thailand.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.