Service concentration
With so many contractors based locally, equipment is often bought, prepared and serviced here before shipment offshore.
Macae is a city in the north of Rio de Janeiro state, known as Brazil's national oil capital. An airport spotting guide reports about 2,000 helicopter operations a month, around 60 to 70 a day, mostly medium and heavy helicopters, plus two daily scheduled airline flights. This page explains what to look for in an explosion proof smartphone for Macae, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Macae: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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 | Macae: Offshore supply bases and quays, Heliport and fuel storage, Workshops handling offshore equipment | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Macaé. 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.
With so many contractors based locally, equipment is often bought, prepared and serviced here before shipment offshore.
Daytime highs average about 28.5 C with around 1,215 mm of rain a year.
The 2022 census recorded 246,391 residents over about 1,217 km2, and the city is building a reputation for technical education, with UFRJ and UFF among the institutions teaching there.
Benedito Lacerda Airport has scheduled flights but is mainly used to concentrate operations to offshore platforms, so helicopter transfers are part of daily working life.
Macae is generally considered the centre of Brazil's offshore petroleum industry and is nicknamed Cidade do Petroleo (City of Petroleum), with many Petrobras facilities inside the town.
Macae Airport now has six helicopter operators meeting the safety standards Petrobras requires, with seven hangars, four shared lounges and a workspace area in the check-in hall.
“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 Macae. In Macae, explosion-proof covers quite different settings: supply bases and quays, heliport fuel storage, workshops handling offshore equipment and onshore oil and gas handling. Fixed gear may be Ex d, while portable handsets rely on intrinsic safety. The IS-04Z1 is designed for the latter, pending certification.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined 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 offshore supply bases and quays, heliport and fuel storage, workshops handling offshore equipment, onshore oil and gas handling. 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.
Helicopter operators and platform owners set rules for batteries, radios and phones, and they differ. Typically devices are checked at the heliport and may need to be stowed or switched off. Confirm with the operator and heliport safety desk before travel.
Petrobras placed its Campos Basin base there and the airport concentrates helicopter transfers to platforms. More than 4,000 companies are registered, so servicing, storage and training are nearby. Confirm freight, customs and storage arrangements with a local logistics company.
Parts of it are, such as supply bases and quays, heliport fuel storage, workshops handling offshore equipment and onshore oil and gas handling, but it is a support city rather than a production site. Confirm the classification of each facility with its operator.
More on Macaé, and on other places in Brazil.
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.