Environment
The semi-arid setting has hot, sunny summers and cool, dry winters with strong winds. Crews often drive long distances between sites.
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. Zone 1 work arises in the surrounding fields at wellsites, tank batteries, compressor stations and gas plants rather than in the cities themselves. Distribution partners for Midland and Odessa, Texas are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Midland and Odessa, Texas 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. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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: Compressor stations, Gas processing plants, Wellsites and tank batteries | 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.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
The semi-arid setting has hot, sunny summers and cool, dry winters with strong winds. Crews often drive long distances between sites.
Midland is described as a major centre of US oil and natural gas production, and Odessa's economy has been driven mainly by the oil industry. Midland International Air and Space Port serves both cities.
Midland and Odessa began as railroad stations halfway between Dallas and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific line, sit about 20 miles apart and are jointly promoted as Two Cities, No Limits.
The surrounding Permian Basin is about 250 miles wide and 300 miles long and contains more than 7,000 fields, so sites are spread across a very large area.
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.
Activity follows energy cycles, and the 2015-16 oil downturn and the 2020 pandemic both depressed local activity, so contractor availability and demand can change quickly.
“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 distributor for Midland and Odessa, Texas would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
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.
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 Midland and Odessa, Texas.
It has been, for example the lowest US unemployment rate in 2014, and it moves with oil prices. Plan for competition for experienced technicians and book service or training slots with enough notice.
Midland has a hot semi-arid climate with roughly 115 afternoons above 90 degrees Fahrenheit a year, plus dust. Choose devices with a dust-tight rating, check the operating temperature range, and keep them out of parked vehicles in summer.
Crews often drive long distances between sites in a semi-arid setting with hot summers and strong winds. A rugged IP68 handset and a managed fleet help, and a vehicle charger would stay in safe areas. Battery performance in heat should be checked, and offline operation tested where coverage is patchy.
Other guides for Midland Odessa, other places in United States, 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.