Ports
RAK Ports operates Saqr Port, Ras Al Khaimah Port, Al Jazeera Port and Al Jeer Port, with services including bulk cargo, container cargo, warehousing and ship repair.
Ras Al Khaimah is the northernmost emirate of the UAE and an industrial port city, home to RAK Ceramics, Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar), RAK Ports and the RAKEZ economic zone. RAK Ceramics, headquartered in the city, produces about 123 million square metres of tiles and 5 million pieces of sanitaryware a year with around 12,000 employees, so kilns and powder handling are major activities. This page explains what to look for in an explosion proof smartphone for Ras Al Khaimah, 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 Ras Al Khaimah: 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. 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 | Ras Al Khaimah: Port fuel and bulk-cargo handling, Pharmaceutical solvent areas, Kiln fuel gas supply and powder handling (Zone 21) | 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.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
RAK Ports operates Saqr Port, Ras Al Khaimah Port, Al Jazeera Port and Al Jeer Port, with services including bulk cargo, container cargo, warehousing and ship repair.
RAKEZ reported 50,000 active companies in August 2026, so classified areas are scattered across many small industrial sites.
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.
UAE mobile phones need type approval from the federal regulator, which accepts European documents; certificates are renewed every three years and a valid supplier register is needed.
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.
A creek divides the city into the old town in the west and Al Nakheel in the east, so road routes between industrial and residential areas can be indirect.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
RAKEZ manages the Al Ghail, Al Hamra and Al Hulaila industrial zones for manufacturing, processing and storage, among other areas. Individual tenants still run their own safety procedures, so confirm site entry and device requirements with the specific company.
Smaller than Abu Dhabi. Classified areas arise mainly from fuel gas for kilns and boilers, solvents in factories and gas networks, spread over several industrial estates. Each tenant sets its own rules, so identify the specific factory and ask its HSE team.
The region has extreme heat and humidity, with one of the highest wet-bulb temperatures in the Middle East. The IS-04Z1 is designed to IP68 and has a 4,000 mAh battery, but heat limits have not been published. Ask for the datasheet and plan outdoor tasks accordingly.
More on Ras Al Khaimah, and on other places in 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.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.