Pakistan: logistics and access
Port Qasim near Karachi handles about 35% of Pakistan's cargo, roughly 17 million tonnes a year, and with Karachi port carries almost 90% of external trade, so most imported equipment clears through these two ports.
A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on the gas fields of Sindh and Balochistan, the refineries at Karachi, Attock and Mahmood Kot, the LNG terminals at Port Qasim and the fertiliser plants. Buyers searching for an explosion proof smartphone supplier for Pakistan can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An explosion proof smartphone for Pakistan cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 | Pakistan: Hub, Balochistan, Mahmood Kot, Muzaffargarh, Sui, Balochistan | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Pakistan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The classified areas, operators and sites below are the ones covered in the SAMS Pakistan market guide.
Port Qasim near Karachi handles about 35% of Pakistan's cargo, roughly 17 million tonnes a year, and with Karachi port carries almost 90% of external trade, so most imported equipment clears through these two ports.
Five main refineries have a combined capacity of about 450,000 barrels a day, producing diesel, motor gasoline, furnace oil, jet fuel, kerosene, LPG and naphtha, so product storage and loading areas are widespread.
The Thar coalfield in Sindh covers over 9,000 square kilometres and holds an estimated 200 billion tonnes of lignite; the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company is the principal mining operator there.
The Toot oil field in Punjab, about 135 km south-west of Islamabad, saw its first well in 1964 and commercial production from 1967, showing that upstream work also happens in the inland north.
“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 Pakistan. Gas crews at Sui and Mari say explosion proof for anything used near hydrocarbons, but the concepts differ. Flameproof Ex d suits fixed equipment, while the IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, Ex ib. That is the concept that suits a handset carried through a wellsite, a compressor station or a refinery unit at Mahmood Kot or Morgah.
There is no stock to order for Pakistan yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, certification is in progress, and supply will run through authorised distributors after the certificates are issued. Procurement teams can prepare now with the datasheet, the certification schedule and a safe-area evaluation.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
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.
The market guide for Pakistan covers Sui, Balochistan, Daharki and Ghotki, Sindh, Port Qasim, Karachi, Korangi, Karachi, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Examples include the Sui gas area in Balochistan, the Toot field in Punjab, Lower Sindh gas fields and the five main refineries. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is decided by each operator, so ask for its hazardous-area drawings.
Operators commonly ask for recognised international certification such as IECEx or ATEX against IEC 60079, but acceptance is set site by site. Request the operator's equipment approval procedure and provide certificates, marking details and manufacturer instructions with your submission.
Coverage depends on the carrier, not the handset. The device is designed to fall back to plant Wi-Fi where the signal is thin, but that depends on the site's network. Confirm with the field operator what connectivity is available before relying on it for work orders.
Other guides for Pakistan, other places in Pakistan, and the pages behind them.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.