A Zone 1 and Zone 21 handset for Malaysian crews: process and maintenance technicians at Pengerang and Kertih, LNG operators at Bintulu, offshore production staff off Miri and Kimanis, and the safety and telecoms people who issue their equipment. Energy supply is regulated by the Energy Commission (Suruhanjaya Tenaga) and the Department of Electricity and Gas Supply, under laws that include the 1974 Petroleum Development Act and the 1993 Gas Supply Acts. Distribution partners for Malaysia are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Malaysia 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 | Malaysia: Gebeng, Pahang, Bintulu, Sarawak, Miri, Sarawak | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Malaysia. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Malaysia market guide.
Petronas is a vertically integrated group covering exploration, refining, distribution, power generation and trading, with subsidiaries such as Petronas Carigali for upstream, Petronas Chemicals for petrochemicals and Petronas Dagangan for marketing.
Oil exploration in Sarawak started at Miri, where Shell drilled the first well in 1910; the well became known as the Grand Old Lady, which gives the north-west of Borneo a long upstream history.
Malaysia Petroleum Management, a division of Petronas, oversees the whole lifecycle of the country's upstream oil and gas assets, so site rules for field equipment are typically passed down through the operator.
Domestic oil production peaked in 2016 as large shallow fields matured, while natural gas plays an outsized role in energy planning, which keeps gas processing and LNG handling central to hazardous-area work.
“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 Malaysia. At Pengerang or Kertih an engineer may call any approved device explosion proof, yet the concepts differ. Flameproof enclosures suit motors and heavy fixtures, while the IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, limiting stored and delivered energy. That fits crews who carry a handset through cracker units, LNG jetties at Bintulu and offshore platforms off Miri and Kimanis.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Malaysia. 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.
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 Malaysia covers Pengerang, Johor, Kertih, Terengganu, Gebeng, Pahang, Bintulu, Sarawak, 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 Malaysia.
Malaysia is hot and humid, so check the stated operating temperature range, ingress protection rating and battery behaviour at the top of that range. Offshore and coastal sites also add salt-laden air, which makes sealed connectors and charging contacts worth checking.
Petronas and its operating companies typically apply their own site procedures on top of national law, including permit-to-work and device registration. Requirements vary by facility and contractor, so ask the site HSE office for its current device and induction rules.
Radio equipment is regulated separately from explosion protection. The programme lists MCMC certification through SIRIM QAS for the communications side, alongside IECEx for the hazardous area side, and both are in progress. Check with your supplier and the site operator which evidence your site requires before enrolling any device.
Related guides for Malaysia and for Malaysia.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.
