Permits
Access to oilfield sites is normally by operator-issued permit, so plan visits and deliveries ahead.
Kirkuk is the centre of northern Iraq's oil industry; the Baba Gurgur discovery in 1927 launched exports from the Kirkuk field. Telecom equipment sold in Iraq needs Communications and Media Commission type approval, with certificates valid for one year and a local partner involved. If you are specifying a hazardous area mobile phone for Kirkuk, 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 Kirkuk: 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. 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 | Kirkuk: Wellheads and gathering stations, Gas processing, Crude pumping and pipeline facilities | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kirkuk. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Access to oilfield sites is normally by operator-issued permit, so plan visits and deliveries ahead.
Summers are extremely hot and dry, with record highs above 50 C, and winters are mild with moderate rain.
The Kirkuk-Ceyhan crude pipeline runs about 970 km to the Turkish coast with two lines of 46 and 40 inches and a combined design capacity of 1.5 million barrels a day, making it Iraq's largest export line.
Iraq's winters are cooler and wetter, with average temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius, and the north sometimes falls below freezing.
Kirkuk has a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen and Arabs, so crews and local contractors may work in Arabic, Kurdish or Turkmen, and clear multilingual instructions help.
BP signed a preliminary deal to develop the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, which it estimates hold about nine billion barrels of recoverable oil, under a profit-sharing model.
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 Kirkuk. Around Kirkuk the classified areas are wellheads and gathering stations, gas processing and crude pumping and pipeline facilities. The North Oil Company or its contractors, not SAMS, define the zones. Before specifying any device, ask for the zone drawing of the specific facility and confirm what the operator requires for portable equipment.
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.
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.
Likely candidates are wellheads and gathering stations, gas processing, crude pumping and pipeline facilities. 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.
The North Oil Company and any partner operators run site permits and supplier checks. Ask your sponsor for the current procedure and for the equipment approval list.
Older plants may have mixed equipment and documentation, so confirm the actual area classification and gas group before taking devices on site. The operator can supply current drawings.
Access to oilfield sites is normally by operator-issued permit, so visits and deliveries need advance planning. Agree the permit route with the operator or its contractor before shipping, and allow time for formal tender and approval steps. Confirm the process with the site operator.
More on Kirkuk, and on other places in Iraq.
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.