Angola: people and language
Portuguese is Angola's official language, so permits, manuals and safety notices for local crews are normally expected in Portuguese.
A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on Angola's deepwater FPSOs, the Cabinda and Soyo onshore facilities, Angola LNG and the Luanda refinery. Sonangol's logistics arm SONILS runs an onshore petroleum supply base of about two million square metres in Luanda Bay with a 2 km quay, inaugurated in 1995 and later extended in 1998, 2004, 2008 and 2012. Distribution partners for Angola are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Angola 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.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zone | 0, 1 or 2 for gas; 20, 21 or 22 for dust | Designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 |
| Gas group | IIA, IIB or IIC | IIC (target) |
| Area drawing | The operator's own classification drawing | Decided by the site operator |
| Where it applies | Angola: Cabinda and Malongo, Lobito, Benguela, Lower Congo basin, offshore | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Angola. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Angola market guide.
Portuguese is Angola's official language, so permits, manuals and safety notices for local crews are normally expected in Portuguese.
The Instituto Angolano das Comunicações, INACOM, is the telecom regulator whose homologation is needed for wireless and telecom equipment sold in Angola.
Angola LNG Limited is owned by Sonangol, Chevron, TotalEnergies and Azule Energy, so the Soyo site combines several shareholders' operating practices.
Angola LNG at Soyo in Zaire Province is the country's first LNG export plant, a single train rated at about 5.2 million tonnes a year and built to use offshore associated gas.
A hazardous area is a place where flammable gas, vapour or combustible dust may be present. Standards divide these into zones: Zones 0, 1 and 2 for gas and vapour, and Zones 20, 21 and 22 for dust. Zone 1 and Zone 21 are the tier where an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation, which is where the IS-04Z1 is designed to work. Anything carried in must be marked for the zone, gas group and temperature class of the area.
No certificate has been issued for the IS-04Z1 yet, so it must not be taken into a classified area until the certificate covering it exists and the site operator has accepted it.
In Angola. Angolan classified areas split between the deepwater FPSOs on Blocks 15, 17 and 32, and the onshore sites: the Angola LNG plant at Soyo, the Malongo terminal at Cabinda and the refinery and storage around Luanda. TotalEnergies, Azule Energy, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Sonangol classify their own areas, not SAMS.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Angola 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.
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.
Zone 1 and Zone 21 (gas and dust) with gas group IIC and temperature class T4, subject to certification. It must not be used in a classified area before its certificate is issued and the site has accepted it.
The market guide for Angola covers Luanda, Soyo, Zaire province, Cabinda and Malongo, Lobito, Benguela, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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 Angola.
Large sites such as Angola LNG have several shareholders and an operating company that sets site HSE rules, which may follow one partner's standards. Confirm which standards and approved-equipment lists the operating company applies before you ship devices to Angola.
A single-train LNG plant typically has liquefaction, gas treatment, propane and butane storage, condensate handling and marine loading areas, all of which are normally classified as hazardous. The operator issues the zone drawings, so request them with the gas group and temperature class before choosing equipment.
It is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 duty, with a target marking of II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, but certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued. Offshore use would depend on the operator's own equipment approval and the schedule of conditions. Confirm with the FPSO operator before any deck use.
More on Angola, and on other places in Angola.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.