United States: rules and approvals
For Zone approval the ANSI/UL and ANSI/ISA 60079 series apply, and ordinary-location electrical safety standards such as ANSI/UL 61010 must also be met.
United States · hazardous area
Hazardous Area Mobile Phone in United States
The IS-04Z1 is built for people who work inside classified locations at American refineries, gas plants, terminals and wellsites, and for the HSE and IT teams who decide what goes through the gate. This page explains what to look for in a hazardous area mobile phone for United States, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topichazardous area
DeviceMobile Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereUnited States
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for United States: 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.
At a glance · hazardous area
Checklist: hazardous area mobile phone for United States
| 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 | United States: Permian Basin, Houston Ship Channel, Beaumont and Port Arthur | Classified by the site operator |
Product · United States
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in United States. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The market · United States
Hazardous-area industry in United States
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS United States market guide covers.
Operators, EPCs and contractors
- ExxonMobil
- Baytown and Beaumont complexes, Permian acreage
- Chevron
- Permian operations, Pascagoula refinery, Anchor deepwater
- Shell USA
- Mars and Ursa hubs, Vito and Whale platforms
- bp America
- Thunder Horse, Whiting refinery, Kaskida development
- ConocoPhillips
- Permian and Eagle Ford, Alaska North Slope
- Marathon Petroleum
- Galveston Bay and Garyville refineries, MPLX midstream
Industrial areas and sites
- Permian Basin
- Midland and Delaware sub-basins, the largest US oil region
- Houston Ship Channel
- Baytown, Deer Park and Pasadena refining and chemicals
- Beaumont and Port Arthur
- Motiva, ExxonMobil and Valero refining on the Sabine
- Lake Charles and Calcasieu
- Refining, chemicals and LNG export in Louisiana
- Baton Rouge corridor
- Refining and chemical plants toward Plaquemine
- Corpus Christi
- Refining, crude export docks and LNG trains
Field notes · United States
More about United States that matters for portable equipment
United States: geography and layout
The Permian Basin in West Texas and south-eastern New Mexico covers more than 86,000 square miles and extends about 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, so sites are spread over a very large area.
United States: industry on the ground
The Permian is the highest-producing US oil field, averaging 4.2 million barrels of crude a day in 2019, with Midland, Odessa and San Angelo serving as headquarters towns.
United States: rules and approvals
Full certification in the US includes quarterly factory inspections, while field certification offers an alternative for custom or low-volume equipment already at an installation.
The term · hazardous area
What “hazardous area” means for a smartphone
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 United States. US classified areas range from the Permian and Williston basins to the Houston Ship Channel, Beaumont, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Corpus Christi, the Alaska North Slope and the deepwater Gulf. The operator or owner classifies each location. SAMS does not classify any area and designs only for a stated one.
The route · specification
Specifying a hazardous area mobile phone for United States
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · United States
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy a hazardous area mobile phone in United States today?
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
What does a hazardous area mobile phone in United States cost?
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.
Which hazardous areas is the IS-04Z1 designed for?
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.
Which sites in United States does this cover?
The market guide for United States covers Permian Basin, Houston Ship Channel, Beaumont and Port Arthur, Lake Charles and Calcasieu, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Is IECEx or ATEX certification enough for US hazardous locations?
Not on its own. US workplace rules accept equipment approved by an OSHA-recognised NRTL and marked accordingly, and ATEX or IECEx certificates are not accepted in their place. Manufacturers usually need a separate US listing, so check the NRTL mark and the Class, Division or Zone marking on any device.
Do US sites use Class and Division or Zone classification?
Both exist. Article 500 of the National Electrical Code defines the Class and Division system, and Articles 505 and 506 define Zones. Many existing refineries and gas plants are still classified by Division, so confirm which system the area drawing uses before selecting equipment markings.
Can one handset suit both a Permian wellpad and a North Dakota gas plant?
IP68 sealing and a rugged build are aimed at August heat and January cold, and the 4,000 mAh battery at a shift away from the truck. The approved ambient range will come from the certificate, which is in progress, so confirm it for both extremes.
Related guides
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More on United States, and on other places in United States.
Rugged Mobile Phone in United StatesSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone in United StatesSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in United StatesSame place, different guide
Industrial Mobile Phone in United StatesSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone in United StatesSame place, different guide
Ex-Proof Mobile Phone Distributor in United StatesSame place, different guide
United States market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for United StatesEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · United States
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for United States
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · United States
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for United States?
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.