Angola: industry on the ground
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 Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on Angola's deepwater FPSOs, the Cabinda and Soyo onshore facilities, Angola LNG and the Luanda refinery. If you are specifying a hazardous area mobile phone for Angola, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Angola: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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: Luanda, Soyo, Zaire province, Cabinda and Malongo | 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.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS Angola market guide covers.
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.
The Soyo plant uses ConocoPhillips' Optimized Cascade liquefaction process and also produces propane, butane and condensate, which means pressurised hydrocarbon storage and loading areas.
Sonangol was created as a state company in 1976 after the nationalisation of ANGOL, and later grew subsidiaries in seismic, engineering, shipping and telecommunications services.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
INACOM, the Instituto Angolano das Comunicações, is the telecom regulator whose homologation applies to wireless and telecom equipment. Local agents often handle the filing and fees. Check with INACOM or an agent which documents and test reports are currently required for your product.
Portuguese is the official language, so local authorities and crews will normally expect manuals, permits and safety notices in Portuguese. International operators often work in English as well, so ask the operator or contractor which languages are required for induction and equipment documentation.
Radio equipment needs type approval from INACOM before it is used on local networks, and documentation in Portuguese is expected. The handset supports Portuguese language profiles. Local content rules also favour supply through an Angolan company. Check the current position with your operator's procurement team and with the partner who would handle importing.
More on Angola, and on other places in Angola.
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.