LNG link
Gas from the Montney supplies LNG Canada via the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
The Montney Formation was first described in 1962 from Texaco's Buick Creek No. 7 well, drilled 41 km north of Fort St. John immediately east of the Alaska Highway. Wellpads, compressor stations and gas plants across it contain classified areas. Distribution partners for Montney gas play are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Montney gas play 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.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Montney gas play: Compressor stations, Condensate handling, Wellpads and wellheads | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Montney Gas Field. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Gas from the Montney supplies LNG Canada via the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
The play extends through areas around Fort St. John and Dawson Creek in British Columbia and into Alberta, so facilities are spread over a wide area.
Grande Prairie, a regional service hub, reports Montney output has doubled since 2012 and is a third of Western Canada's gas, projected to exceed half of national output by 2040.
A 2013 joint study by the National Energy Board, the BC Oil and Gas Commission and the Alberta Energy Regulator assessed the formation, and gas is produced in both provinces, so operators work under two regimes.
In northeast British Columbia some wells contain hydrogen sulphide, which makes gas sour, flammable and potentially deadly if inhaled, and Geoscience BC research maps where it occurs in unconventional reservoirs.
The Montney is a Lower Triassic unit of dolomitic siltstone and sandstone up to about 280 m thick, which supports long horizontal wells.
“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 Montney gas play. On the Montney, explosion-proof is often applied to wellhead and compressor equipment. Flameproof Ex d protects enclosures on fixed plant, but a handheld phone uses intrinsic safety. Wellpads, gas plants, compressor stations and condensate handling are different areas, and each should have its own classification.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Montney gas play. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
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.
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.
Likely candidates are wellpads and wellheads, gas processing plants, compressor stations, condensate handling. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
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 Montney gas play.
Northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia have cold winters, so devices need low-temperature ratings and warm storage. Confirm the operator's winter equipment guidance and temperature class.
Mostly by field road from service hubs such as Grande Prairie, with winter and spring access depending on road conditions. Confirm access arrangements and vehicle rules for powered devices with the operator.
Not necessarily. The play spans two provinces and several operators, each with its own HSE approval. A manufacturer certificate would help, but operators decide what they accept. Confirm the jurisdiction and equipment approval requirements for each site, and ask each operator what documents it needs.
Other guides for Montney Gas Field, other places in Canada, 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.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.