United States: industry on the ground
The Permian also yields potash, mined by the room-and-pillar method in Lea and Eddy counties in New Mexico, which adds mining and mineral-dust hazards to the oil and gas activity.
The IS-04Z1 is built for people who work inside classified locations at American refineries, gas plants, terminals and wellsites, and for the HSE and IT teams who decide what goes through the gate. US workplace rules accept electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres only if it is approved by an OSHA-recognised NRTL, and OSHA states that the NRTL's specific mark is required, so CE and ATEX do not count. Distribution partners for United States are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. United States 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | United States: Beaumont and Port Arthur, Lake Charles and Calcasieu, Baton Rouge corridor | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in United States. 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 United States market guide covers.
The Permian also yields potash, mined by the room-and-pillar method in Lea and Eddy counties in New Mexico, which adds mining and mineral-dust hazards to the oil and gas activity.
For Zone approval the ANSI/UL and ANSI/ISA 60079 series apply, and ordinary-location electrical safety standards such as ANSI/UL 61010 must also be met.
The Permian Basin in West Texas and south-eastern New Mexico covers more than 86,000 square miles and extends about 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, so sites are spread over a very large area.
The Permian is the highest-producing US oil field, averaging 4.2 million barrels of crude a day in 2019, with Midland, Odessa and San Angelo serving as headquarters towns.
“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 United States. Explosion-proof is the standard American phrase, and in the US it traditionally points to a heavy enclosure of the kind used in Class I Division 1 locations. The IS-04Z1 takes a different route, using intrinsic safety to limit the energy of a handheld. Reviewers at a refinery or LNG plant should ask which concept is meant.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for United States yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
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 United States covers Permian Basin, Houston Ship Channel, Beaumont and Port Arthur, Lake Charles and Calcasieu, 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 United States.
Not on its own. US workplace rules accept equipment approved by an OSHA-recognised NRTL and marked accordingly, and ATEX or IECEx certificates are not accepted in their place. Manufacturers usually need a separate US listing, so check the NRTL mark and the Class, Division or Zone marking on any device.
Both exist. Article 500 of the National Electrical Code defines the Class and Division system, and Articles 505 and 506 define Zones. Many existing refineries and gas plants are still classified by Division, so confirm which system the area drawing uses before selecting equipment markings.
IP68 sealing and a rugged build are aimed at August heat and January cold, and the 4,000 mAh battery at a shift away from the truck. The approved ambient range will come from the certificate, which is in progress, so confirm it for both extremes.
Other guides for United States, other places in United States, and the pages behind them.
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.