Service base
Oilfield service firms such as Halliburton (about 1,400 staff in Odessa) and Baker Hughes are major local employers.
Midland and Odessa are neighbouring West Texas cities that serve as the main service and headquarters base for the Permian Basin. The Permian Basin oil boom of the 1920s moved the area's economy from cattle to energy, and by 1929 a total of 36 oil companies had set up offices in Midland. If you are specifying an explosion proof mobile phone for Midland and Odessa, Texas, 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 Midland and Odessa, Texas: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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 | Midland and Odessa, Texas: Wellsites and tank batteries, Drilling rigs, Compressor stations | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Midland Odessa. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
Oilfield service firms such as Halliburton (about 1,400 staff in Odessa) and Baker Hughes are major local employers.
The semi-arid setting has hot, sunny summers and cool, dry winters with strong winds. Crews often drive long distances between sites.
The shale boom of the early 2010s revived the area after the 1980s oil bust, with manufacturing, transport and construction firms largely serving the energy industry.
Midland International Air and Space Port is located between the two cities and gives direct access for visiting engineers, while general aviation uses Midland Airpark.
The Midland metro area had about 170,000 residents and the combined Midland-Odessa area about 340,000 at the 2020 census, and Midland recorded the lowest US unemployment rate in 2014 at 2.3 percent.
Midland has a hot semi-arid climate with about 13.5 inches of rain a year, highs above 90 degrees Fahrenheit on roughly 115 afternoons and 100 degrees or more on about 24.
“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 Midland and Odessa, Texas. In the oilfield, explosion-proof is a casual term for gear used at wellsites, tank batteries and compressor stations. The real distinction is between flameproof Ex d housings and intrinsic safety. The IS-04Z1 is designed for intrinsic safety, aiming at an Ex ib marking, which is a different concept from a blast-containing enclosure.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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.
Likely candidates are wellsites and tank batteries, drilling rigs, compressor stations, gas processing plants. 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.
Midland International Air and Space Port sits between the two cities and is the closest airport; most visitors connect through a larger Texas hub. Allow for long road transfers because the Permian Basin covers about 86,000 square miles.
Oilfield sites are spread over a large area with wellpads, tank batteries and gas processing plants, so lone-worker and coverage requirements often matter as much as area classification. Confirm classified zones and approval rules with each operator.
Producers and service contractors usually buy through their own procurement or field contractors, so the buyer may be a service company rather than the operator. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch with no certificate. Ask the relevant site operator which approvals apply to contractor devices.
More on Midland Odessa, and on other places in United States.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.