North Oil Company: projects and investment
The development and production contract covers an initial recovery of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent from the Baba and Avanah domes of Kirkuk and the Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields.
North Oil Company · IECEx
IECEx Smartphone for North Oil Company
Kirkuk is reported to have three pay zones, with the Tertiary reservoir holding about 98 per cent of recoverable reserves, so production is concentrated in a small number of formations. It operates the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, and a redevelopment contract for these fields was signed with bp in 2025. If you are specifying an IECEx smartphone for North Oil Company, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicIECEx
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereNorth Oil Company
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for North Oil Company: 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. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · IECEx
Checklist: IECEx smartphone for North Oil Company
| 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 | North Oil Company: Oil production facilities, Gas plants, Pipeline stations | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Iraq
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Iraq. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The organisation · North Oil Company
North Oil Company (NOC): operations and where an Ex phone fits
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Sites and areas
- Kirkuk (Baba and Avanah domes)
- Bai Hassan field
- Jambur field
- Khabbaz field
Classified areas
- Oil production facilities
- Gas plants
- Pipeline stations
Supplier approval · North Oil Company
How suppliers reach North Oil Company
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current 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.
Field notes · North Oil Company
More about North Oil Company that matters for portable equipment
North Oil Company: rules and approvals
Iraq's Communications and Media Commission handles type approval for radio equipment, with procedures following EU-style compliance and usually working through local registered partners.
North Oil Company: background
bp's activity in Iraq goes back to the 1920s, when it helped locate, produce and export oil from Baba Gurgur at Kirkuk, then the largest oilfield in the world.
North Oil Company: who works there
North Oil Company and North Gas Company are the current operators of the Kirkuk fields, with operatorship planned to move to an unincorporated organisation made up mainly of their own personnel.
The term · IECEx
What “IECEx” means for a smartphone
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 North Oil Company. Redevelopment of northern fields brings international engineering and service firms to Kirkuk, and they tend to work from IECEx paperwork. Their reviewers look for the certificate of conformity and its schedule of conditions. IECEx is a target for the IS-04Z1 and remains in progress, so North Oil Company staff should read it as a planned route rather than a held approval.
The route · specification
Specifying an IECEx smartphone for North Oil Company
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · North Oil Company
Frequently asked questions
Can North Oil Company buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an IECEx smartphone for North Oil Company cost?
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.
Does the IS-04Z1 hold an IECEx certificate?
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
How does North Oil Company approve suppliers?
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Who currently operates the Kirkuk fields?
North Oil Company and North Gas Company are the current operators, and a planned transition would move operatorship to an unincorporated organisation made up mainly of their personnel. Supplier registration and equipment approval therefore stay with the Iraqi state companies; check current requirements with them.
What is the Kirkuk redevelopment contract?
A development and production contract covering the Baba and Avanah domes of Kirkuk and the Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, with an initial resource of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent. It means ongoing upgrades alongside operating plant, with many contractors on site.
Is the redevelopment contract likely to change who approves equipment?
It may bring international contractors with their own standards onto the northern fields, but equipment approval is still run by North Oil Company itself. Ask its procurement and HSE teams which paperwork they require, and do not assume a contractor's approval applies. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on North Oil Company, and on other places in Iraq.
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for Basra Oil CompanyElsewhere in Iraq
Iraq market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for IraqEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · North Oil Company
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for North Oil Company, Iraq
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Enquiry · North Oil Company
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for North Oil Company?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.