Free zone
Jafza, DP World's flagship free zone, grew from 19 companies in 1985 to over 11,000 today, so access and site rules vary by tenant.
Jebel Ali, south-west of Dubai, combines the DP World port, the Jebel Ali Free Zone, the DEWA power and desalination complex and the EGA aluminium smelter. The port lies about 35 km south-west of Dubai, so teams based in the city face a long road transfer along the coast. If you are specifying an explosion proof mobile phone for Jebel Ali, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Jebel Ali: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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 | Jebel Ali: Gas-fired power station fuel systems, Desalination and power plant gas supply, Smelter power-station fuel areas | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Jebel Ali. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Jafza, DP World's flagship free zone, grew from 19 companies in 1985 to over 11,000 today, so access and site rules vary by tenant.
Hot, humid coastal conditions; outdoor equipment should be rated for heat and salt air.
ENOC Processing Company, a subsidiary of the Dubai government's energy group ENOC, runs the Jebel Ali refinery in Dubai, adding a process plant to the port district.
The port has more than one million square metres of container yard and about 960,000 square metres of open storage, so wide open areas are exposed to sun and dust.
With 67 berths, the harbour is described as the world's largest man-made harbour and the biggest port in the Middle East, so jetty and quay areas are extensive.
Jebel Ali Port opened in 1979, inaugurated on 26 February that year to supplement Port Rashid, so much of the district's infrastructure dates from the last 45 years.
“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 Jebel Ali. At power station fuel systems, oil storage terminals and chemical warehouses, explosion-proof means different things. Flameproof Ex d suits fixed equipment, and a handheld phone relies on intrinsic safety. Because tenants range from utilities to warehouses, each operator decides which concept applies in its own areas.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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 gas-fired power station fuel systems, desalination and power plant gas supply, smelter power-station fuel areas, chemical and fuel warehousing. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
The port is connected to the airport cargo village, and its operator notes that a four-hour ship-to-aircraft transfer is possible. That helps when a part must reach a site quickly, but hazardous-area equipment still needs its certification documents and customs paperwork in place.
The port has a container yard of over one million square metres and about 960,000 square metres of open storage, so handsets used there face sun, heat and dust. Choose a sealed device with a stated operating temperature range and ingress protection rating.
Conditions are hot and humid, with summer highs near 40 degrees C. The IS-04Z1 is designed to IP68 with a 4,000 mAh battery, but heat limits have not been published. Ask for the datasheet, and confirm with the site operator whether outdoor use is expected in peak summer.
Other guides for Jebel Ali, other places in United Arab Emirates, 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.