Strategic reserve
ISPRL's Visakhapatnam facility, with 1.33 million tonnes of crude storage in rock caverns and tanks, was built under India's phase-I strategic reserve programme.
Visakhapatnam is a major east-coast port city in Andhra Pradesh. HPCL's Visakh refinery was the first refinery on India's east coast, commissioned in 1957, and now has a nameplate capacity of 15 million tonnes a year, so liquid-hydrocarbon hazardous areas are extensive and long established. If you are specifying a hazardous area mobile phone for Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh, 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 Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. 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 | Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh: Refinery process units, Crude and product tank farms, Underground strategic crude storage | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Visakhapatnam India. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
ISPRL's Visakhapatnam facility, with 1.33 million tonnes of crude storage in rock caverns and tanks, was built under India's phase-I strategic reserve programme.
Tropical savanna climate with 24.7 to 30.6 C annual temperature range and monsoon rainfall; the coast is exposed to occasional cyclones.
The city is the zonal headquarters of the South Coast Railway Zone, and a transit corridor is proposed to link the planned Bhogapuram airport with city business districts and the Atchutapuram industrial clusters.
The port serves the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, quoted at about 7.3 million tonnes a year, and the industrial hinterland of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, which brings coal, ore and dust hazards alongside oil and gas.
The city is known as India's shipbuilding capital, with Hindustan Shipyard and the Naval Dockyard on the harbour, and it is the headquarters of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command.
Institutions in the city include the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy and the Indian Maritime University, which feed a local pool of petroleum and marine engineers for plant and shipyard work.
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 Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh. Refinery process units, crude and product tanks, underground cavern storage and berths at the single point mooring are the classified areas here. Each site operator, HPCL or ISPRL, classifies its own areas. SAMS does not classify anything, and buyers should request the operator's zone drawings.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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 refinery process units, crude and product tank farms, underground strategic crude storage, port petroleum berths and single point mooring. 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.
It is a sensible base because the refinery, port, rail zone headquarters and a large engineering workforce are all in one metropolitan area. Shutdown timing is set by the operator, so ask the plant for its turnaround plan and contractor induction rules.
Yes. Tank cleaning, fuel and cargo tank work, paint stores and hot-work areas on ships and in dry docks can all be treated as hazardous locations. Shipyards typically issue gas-free and hot-work permits, so check how portable devices are controlled.
Heat, humidity and salt air are the practical concerns, along with monsoon rain. Check the rated operating temperature range and the sealing of ports and charging contacts. Charging should happen in a safe area. Confirm any site-specific rules with the operator.
More on Visakhapatnam India, and on other places in India.
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.