Sonatrach: infrastructure
Sonatrach runs over 3,900 km of crude oil pipelines, mainly carrying crude from Hassi Messaoud to export terminals, plus condensate and LPG networks linking Hassi R'Mel and other fields to Arzew.
The Hassi R'Mel to Skikda and El Kala gas pipeline is 48 inches in diameter and links the Hassi R'Mel gas field to the Skikda export area on the Mediterranean coast. It covers exploration and production, pipeline transport, liquefaction and separation, refining and petrochemicals, and marketing, through more than 150 subsidiaries and affiliates. Buyers searching for an explosion proof mobile phone supplier for Sonatrach can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An explosion proof mobile phone for Sonatrach cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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 | Sonatrach: Oil and gas production facilities, Gas processing, LNG liquefaction | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Algeria. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
Sonatrach runs over 3,900 km of crude oil pipelines, mainly carrying crude from Hassi Messaoud to export terminals, plus condensate and LPG networks linking Hassi R'Mel and other fields to Arzew.
In February 2022 Sonatrach signed a contract to build a 150,000 cubic metre LNG storage tank at the Skikda gas export terminal, adding a new cryogenic storage area to the coastal complex.
Production began at the Tinrhert gas field at the end of 2022, expected to yield about 500 tonnes of liquefied gas and 800 tonnes of condensate a day, and the Hassi Bir Rekaiz field reached first oil in June 2022.
Sonatrach holds 51% of the Medgaz pipeline to Spain, with Naturgy holding 49%, and works with Eni on the Transmed pipeline to Italy, so export gas flows through large compressor and metering stations.
“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 Sonatrach. On a Sonatrach site, 'explosion-proof' is everyday shorthand covering different protection concepts. Flameproof enclosures (Ex d) suit heavy equipment at gas processing and LNG liquefaction units, while intrinsic safety limits the energy a handheld can release. A phone is a handheld, so the IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof casing.
There is no stock to order for Sonatrach yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, certification is in progress, and supply will run through authorised distributors after the certificates are issued. Procurement teams can prepare now with the datasheet, the certification schedule and a safe-area evaluation.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
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.
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.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Southern fields have extreme summer heat, large day-to-night temperature swings, sand and wind-blown dust. For handheld devices this means checking the rated operating temperature, dust ingress protection, thermal behaviour in direct sun and battery performance, and asking the site for its limits.
Algerian industry works mainly in French and Arabic, with English used on international partnerships. Manuals, labels and training for hazardous-area devices are therefore commonly expected in French, and sometimes Arabic. Confirm the required language with Sonatrach's procurement and the relevant HSE team.
Heat, dust and blowing sand are routine in Saharan fields, so ingress protection and battery behaviour in high temperatures matter. IP68 is designed to keep dust out but does not replace explosion protection. Check the device's stated operating temperature range and the area temperature class against site conditions before relying on it.
More on Sonatrach, and on other places in Algeria.
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.