Saudi Arabia: logistics and access
Ras Tanura Port is described as the world's largest crude oil export terminal, handling about 20 percent of global oil exports and over 2,000 tankers a year.
The IS-04Z1 is a Zone 1 and Zone 21 handset for people who work inside classified areas in the Kingdom: field operators, maintenance and inspection engineers, and the HSE and telecoms teams who equip them. Jubail Industrial City was designated in 1975 and is home to SABIC, while Jubail has a population of about 475,000 as of 2022. A hazardous area mobile phone distributor in Saudi Arabia would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Saudi Arabia 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.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | Saudi Arabia: Ghawar, Shaybah, Khurais | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Saudi Arabia. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS Saudi Arabia market guide covers.
Ras Tanura Port is described as the world's largest crude oil export terminal, handling about 20 percent of global oil exports and over 2,000 tankers a year.
Ras Tanura Refinery was established in 1939 and is the largest refinery in Saudi Arabia, run by Saudi Aramco.
Jubail has the world's largest independent water and power project, producing about 2,744 megawatts of electricity and 800,000 cubic metres of water daily.
The Ju'aymah Gas Plant at Ras Tanura is recognised as the world's largest natural gas liquids fractionation plant.
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 Saudi Arabia. Classified areas in the Kingdom sit mostly in the Eastern Province, with a second cluster on the Red Sea coast at Yanbu and Rabigh. Classification of each area is carried out by the operator, such as Aramco or Ma'aden, to its own standards. SAMS does not classify any area and designs only for a stated one.
A distributor for Saudi Arabia would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
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.
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.
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 Saudi Arabia covers Abqaiq, Ras Tanura, Ghawar, Shaybah, 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 Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Aramco, SABIC and other large operators set their own supplier and equipment standards within national regulation, and the Royal Commission manages Jubail and Yanbu. Ask the end user for its approved-vendor requirements before shipping any device.
Jubail and Ras Tanura on the Gulf coast, Yanbu on the Red Sea, and many Saudi Aramco fields and plants inland. Jubail and Yanbu are managed by the Royal Commission.
The 4,000 mAh battery is specified for a full shift, because recharging inside a classified area is not possible and stores can be far away. Actual runtime depends on camera, torch and GNSS use, so test it on a real round during an evaluation.
Other guides for Saudi Arabia, other places in Saudi Arabia, and the pages behind them.
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.