Economic zone
RAKEZ reported 50,000 active companies in August 2026, so classified areas are scattered across many small industrial sites.
RAKEZ is reported to support more than 50 sectors, so hazard profiles range from food and chemicals to metals and building materials rather than one dominant process. Hazardous-area work is smaller in scale than in Abu Dhabi and arises mainly from fuel gas, solvents and dust. An explosion proof smartphone distributor in Ras Al Khaimah would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Ras Al Khaimah 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.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. 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 | Ras Al Khaimah: Kiln fuel gas supply and powder handling (Zone 21), Gas distribution networks, Port fuel and bulk-cargo handling | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Ras Al Khaimah. 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.
RAKEZ reported 50,000 active companies in August 2026, so classified areas are scattered across many small industrial sites.
Extreme heat and humidity; the highest wet-bulb temperature on record from a reputable weather station, 36.3 degrees C, was measured at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport serves the emirate, giving a direct entry point for visiting engineers without a transfer through Dubai.
The city had 191,753 residents in 2025 and is the sixth most populous in the UAE, so industrial labour is partly local and partly commuting from neighbouring emirates.
RAKEZ's Al Ghail, Al Hamra and Al Hulaila industrial zones are used for manufacturing, processing and storage, so the emirate's industrial work is spread over several estates.
The Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone was announced in April 2017 by merging the investment authority and the free trade zone, so many industrial tenants now sit under one authority.
“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 Ras Al Khaimah. Here explosion-proof can mean fuel at port facilities, solvents in pharmaceutical plants or fine powder at ceramics works. Flameproof Ex d suits fixed equipment, while a handheld phone relies on intrinsic safety for gas and vapour areas. Dust areas need a separate protection concept chosen by the plant.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Ras Al Khaimah yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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 port fuel and bulk-cargo handling, pharmaceutical solvent areas, kiln fuel gas supply and powder handling (zone 21), gas distribution networks. 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 Ras Al Khaimah.
They can. Kilns and dryers use fuel gas, which may need gas classification around supply points, and tile powders can create dust, which operators assess separately. RAK Ceramics is a large local example; classification is plant-specific, so request the site's documents.
Yes. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport serves the emirate, so visitors do not have to land in Dubai, although many do and drive. Check current flight schedules and the client's access rules; ask about equipment import paperwork too.
It depends on what the site handles. Port fuel, pharmaceutical solvents and kiln fuel or powder areas may be classified, while offices are not. The operator classifies its own areas. Ask the site's HSE officer whether any area you visit is classified before choosing a device.
Related guides for Ras Al Khaimah and for United Arab Emirates.
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.