Borouge operates a polyolefins complex at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, producing polyethylene and polypropylene. Hydrocarbon feedstocks and polymer powder give gas and dust classification, and the Borouge 4 expansion is bringing new plants onstream, including an XLPE plant that delivered its first customer batch in September 2026. An IECEx smartphone distributor in Borouge at Ruwais would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Borouge at Ruwais has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
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. 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 | Borouge at Ruwais: Feedstock and gas storage, Utilities and pipelines, Olefin and polyolefin process units | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Borouge Petrochemical. 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.
Borouge 4 will add 1.4 million tonnes of capacity and make Ruwais the world's largest single-site polyolefin complex; it is operated by Borouge Plc on behalf of its owners ADNOC and OMV, so contractor activity continues during commissioning.
Borouge Plc is 90 per cent owned by Borouge Group International, formed in March 2026 from Borouge, Borealis and NOVA Chemicals and backed by XRG (ADNOC's investment arm) and OMV.
In March 2025 ADNOC and OMV announced plans to merge Borouge with Borealis and to acquire Nova Chemicals, building a larger global polyolefins group, after Borouge listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in 2022.
UAE handsets need type approval from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, which introduced a new type approval mark taking effect on 1 January 2023.
Borouge employs more than 3,000 people of over 40 nationalities, so safety instructions and handset menus may need to work for a multilingual crew.
The complex produces polyethylene and polypropylene using Borstar and Borlink technologies for packaging, infrastructure, energy, mobility, agriculture and healthcare uses, so both gas feedstock and polymer powder are handled.
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 Borouge at Ruwais. The Borouge 4 expansion brings international construction and commissioning contractors to Ruwais alongside permanent staff. IECEx offers them a common international reference, with a certificate of conformity and schedule of conditions read together. For the IS-04Z1 this certificate is in progress and none has been issued.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Borouge at Ruwais yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
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.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are olefin and polyolefin process units, polymer powder handling (zone 21), feedstock and gas storage, utilities and pipelines. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Borouge at Ruwais.
The company reports more than 40 nationalities among its 3,000-plus employees, so a handset used for permits or alarms should support clear icons and the languages the crew actually uses. Confirm the plant's working language and its rules on personal devices.
Plant owners normally run their own supplier registration and equipment approvals, often through procurement and HSE teams. Borouge describes a formal safety culture, so expect documentation requests; confirm current requirements directly with its procurement team.
Borouge manages its own contractor and supplier approvals, so personal or contractor devices would be a matter for its procurement and HSE teams. Any phone entering classified areas would need suitable evidence. Ask Borouge what documentation it requires before planning device use on the project.
Related guides for Borouge Petrochemical and for United Arab Emirates.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.
