Administration
The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu runs the industrial city; each plant operator sets its own contractor rules.
The Royal Commission's chairman's office is in Riyadh, with separate directorates general in Jubail and Yanbu, so city-level services are run locally while plants set their own rules. It houses SABIC plants, the SATORP and SASREF refineries and the Sadara chemical complex, so classified areas are widespread. This page explains what to look for in an IECEx mobile phone for Jubail Industrial City, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Jubail Industrial City: 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of conformity | Number checkable on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Standards edition | The IEC 60079 edition the certificate cites | Stated on the certificate when issued |
| Schedule of conditions | Limits of use, batteries and accessories | Published with the certificate |
| Where it applies | Jubail Industrial City: Utilities and gas processing, Refinery process units, Petrochemical and chemical plants | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Jubail. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu runs the industrial city; each plant operator sets its own contractor rules.
The city has two seaports, the Jubail Commercial Seaport and the King Fahd Industrial Seaport.
Associated gas from oil extraction is collected and processed by Aramco and piped to Jubail and Yanbu as petrochemical feedstock, so gas-handling and pipeline areas feed the plants.
Dammam's airport terminal is about 60 km by road from the Jubail suburbs, 80 km from the city centre and 100 km from the Royal Commission neighbourhoods.
Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission handles radio type approval, with certificates renewed every two years, and accepts European test documents.
Jubail was a small fishing village until 1975, when the government chose it for a new industrial city, so nearly all plant infrastructure dates from the last 50 years.
IECEx is the international scheme for certifying equipment used in explosive atmospheres. A certificate of conformity is issued by an accredited certification body against a specific edition of the IEC 60079 standards and carries a schedule of conditions of safe use. It is not a legal requirement in most countries on its own, but many national schemes accept it as the technical basis.
The IECEx certificate for the IS-04Z1 is in progress and has not been issued. The marking target is Ex ib IIC T4, the intrinsic safety concept for Zone 1 gas with the hardest gas group (IIC) and a 135 °C temperature class.
In Jubail Industrial City. With operators such as SABIC, SATORP, Sadara, Kemya and SASREF in one industrial city, international contractors and EPCs frequently move between plants. IECEx provides a shared reference, with a certificate of conformity and schedule of conditions to read. For the IS-04Z1 these are targets only, as certification is in progress.
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.
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.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, petrochemical and chemical plants, storage and loading terminals, port bulk handling. 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.
Many. The Royal Commission plans and runs the industrial city, but chemical, refining, power and port companies operate their own plants under their own safety and permit rules. Equipment approval for handheld devices is usually decided plant by plant.
Gas-fired power and desalination plants usually include fuel-gas supply areas, so some classified zones are likely. The city's independent water and power project is among the largest in the world, so contractor numbers are high; confirm requirements with the specific plant.
Not automatically. Each plant operator sets its own approved-vendor and permit rules, so approval at one plant does not guarantee acceptance at another. Confirm current requirements with the operator or its contractor for each plant. This applies on top of explosion-protection certification.
More on Jubail, and on other places in Saudi Arabia.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.