Extreme heat and humidity
Summer temperatures regularly exceed 50 C with humidity that can pass 90 per cent, which affects device thermal limits and battery life.
Basra is Iraq's southern oil hub and the base of the Basra Oil Company. Majnoon is held by Basra Oil Company (45 percent), Petronas (30 percent) and Missan Oil Company (25 percent) and produces around 245,000 barrels a day. If you are specifying an explosion proof smartphone for Basra, 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 Basra: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 | Basra: Degassing and gathering stations, Wellheads and flowlines, Gas processing plants | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Basra. 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.
Summer temperatures regularly exceed 50 C with humidity that can pass 90 per cent, which affects device thermal limits and battery life.
Major fields are run by the state operator or joint operating organisations, and site entry is normally controlled through operator-issued permits.
The city is consistently one of the hottest on the planet, with summer temperatures regularly above 50 degrees Celsius, so heat management is a safety factor for outdoor work.
Southern terminals exported about 3.23 million barrels a day in December 2024, so tank farms, pump stations and metering systems are heavily used.
Basra Oil Company, headquartered in Basra, handles exploration, drilling, production, storage and export in the south and was previously known as the Iraqi South Oil Company.
Umm Qasr, Iraq's main deep-water port, opened in July 1967 and is linked by railway to Basra and Baghdad.
“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 Basra. Crews at Basra gathering stations and gas plants often call everything explosion-proof. In practice, motors and junction boxes may use flameproof Ex d, while portable electronics rely on intrinsic safety. The IS-04Z1 is designed to be intrinsically safe, which suits a phone carried between wellheads, flowlines and processing areas.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
Likely candidates are degassing and gathering stations, wellheads and flowlines, gas processing plants, crude storage and export terminals. 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.
Summer temperatures regularly exceed 50 degrees Celsius, with high humidity near the coast. Devices should have a wide operating temperature range, and teams need heat plans for outdoor work.
Umm Qasr is Iraq's main deep-water port and is linked to Basra by railway; projects such as the Grand Faw Port are changing logistics in the area. Plan for customs and escort procedures with the operator's logistics team.
High ambient temperature shortens battery life and can limit the temperature range allowed on the certificate. Keep the phone out of direct sun, carry a spare charged in a safe area and read the permitted ambient range once the IS-04Z1 certificate exists. Confirm site rules with the operator.
Related guides for Basra and for Iraq.
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.