Austria: rules and approvals
Directive 2014/34/EU became mandatory for manufacturers on 20 April 2016, and Directive 1999/92/EC requires employers to divide workplaces into zones by the likelihood and persistence of an explosive atmosphere.
The IS-04Z1 is an ex proof phone designed to ATEX 2014/34/EU for gas and dust atmospheres, built for refinery turnarounds, gas stations on the transit grid, steel works and fibre plants. This page sets out how a hazardous area mobile phone supply route to Austria will work for the IS-04Z1, and what is and is not available before launch.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. A hazardous area mobile phone for Austria cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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 | Austria: The Vienna basin, Lenzing, Schwechat | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Austria. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Austria market guide.
Directive 2014/34/EU became mandatory for manufacturers on 20 April 2016, and Directive 1999/92/EC requires employers to divide workplaces into zones by the likelihood and persistence of an explosive atmosphere.
More than 3,000 hydro plants provided 54% of installed generating capacity in 2021, and Verbund generates about 90% of its power from hydro, so dam and turbine-hall work dominates the electricity side.
OMV opened the Schwechat refinery near Vienna in 1960, and since 1970 the Adria-Vienna Pipeline has delivered crude from the marine terminal at Trieste, Italy, to Schwechat.
Borealis, headquartered in Vienna, is Europe's second-largest polyolefins producer and a major petrochemicals company, with plants in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Finland and Sweden.
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 Austria. Austria is landlocked and its hazardous areas are processing rather than production: the refinery and tank farm at Schwechat, gas at Baumgarten, steel at Linz and Donawitz, fibre at Lenzing and fermentation at Kundl. A day can move from Zone 1 to Zone 21 within one company. Under the VEXAT the employer classifies the areas, not SAMS.
Nothing can be bought for Austria today: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, and SAMS will supply end users through authorised distributors once certificates exist. What a buyer can do now is take the specification, ask for the written certification schedule and arrange a safe-area evaluation, so that the right local channel contacts you at launch.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
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.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
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 Austria covers Schwechat, Baumgarten an der March, Linz, Donawitz and Leoben, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Chemical production, metalworking, paint and coating, food processing with dust, sewage treatment and energy supply all feature in Austria's industrial mix. Each employer must assess and zone its own workplace, so ask for the explosion protection document before bringing in new devices.
German is the working language, and ATEX instructions are typically expected in the language of the destination country. A German-language manual and certificate pack typically makes site acceptance easier. Ask the operator whether English documentation is also acceptable on its premises.
Austrian acceptance treats German documentation as a condition, so the manual, safe-use instructions and declaration of conformity are planned in German alongside English, with a German interface on Android 16. The certification programme is in progress and nothing has been issued. Check the exact requirement with your safety officer.
More on Austria, and on other places in Austria.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.