OQ: industry on the ground
OQ is wholly owned by the Government of Oman through the Oman Investment Authority and works in energy infrastructure, refining, petrochemicals, oil marketing and power, across 17 countries.
OQ is an Omani integrated energy group wholly owned by the Government of Oman and part of the Oman Investment Authority, created in 2019 when Orpic merged with Oman Oil Company. Its refining arm, OQ Refineries and Petroleum Industries, runs the Sohar and Mina Al Fahal refineries, and OQ is a partner in the Duqm refinery joint venture (OQ8). Buyers searching for an IECEx mobile phone supplier for OQ can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An IECEx mobile phone for OQ 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | OQ: Refinery process units, Petrochemical plants, Fuel and crude storage terminals | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Oman. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
OQ reports more than 13,000 registered vendors and suppliers and has a Vendors page on its website; confirm current registration and equipment approval requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
OQ is wholly owned by the Government of Oman through the Oman Investment Authority and works in energy infrastructure, refining, petrochemicals, oil marketing and power, across 17 countries.
The Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Complex is a joint venture announced in 2017 between OQ and Kuwait Petroleum International, with construction of the refinery starting in 2018.
OQ's subsidiary Oman Tank Terminal Company began building a crude oil storage terminal near Ras Markaz in 2017, a remote coastal site with large tank farms and marine loading.
As of June 2023 OQ was producing more than 246,000 barrels of oil a day from its upstream interests, in addition to its downstream plants.
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 OQ. OQ's refineries and the Duqm joint venture bring international partners and contractors who tend to hold IECEx documents. They look for a certificate of conformity and its schedule of conditions. IECEx is a target for the IS-04Z1 and remains in progress, so treat it as a planned route and not an approval already held.
There is no stock to order for OQ yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, certification is in progress, and supply will run through authorised distributors after the certificates are issued. Procurement teams can prepare now with the datasheet, the certification schedule and a safe-area evaluation.
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.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
OQ reports more than 13,000 registered vendors and suppliers and has a Vendors page on its website; confirm current registration and equipment approval requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Coastal terminals such as Ras Markaz combine heat, salt-laden air and dust, so check the ingress protection rating, corrosion resistance of the enclosure and the operating temperature range, in addition to the gas group and temperature class. Confirm any marine or terminal-specific requirements with the terminal operator.
OQ is a group with several operating companies, joint ventures and terminals, and each can apply its own site rules. Check with the procurement and HSE team of the specific OQ company, such as the refining or terminal business, for current supplier registration and equipment approval steps.
Summer heat, humidity and dust are routine, and Salalah has a monsoon season. IP68 sealing helps with dust and water but is not explosion protection. Check the datasheet temperature range, test battery life locally, and ask OQ's HSE team how portable devices are charged and kept near LPG areas.
More on OQ, and on other places in Oman.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.