France: projects and investment
In 2022 France announced plans to build six new reactors, reversing a 2014 plan to reduce nuclear supply, which points to long-running construction and maintenance work.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, aimed at the refineries, chemical platforms and LNG terminals that make up the French Seveso estate. Le Havre is France's second-largest commercial port by tonnage and its largest for containers, managed since 2008 by the state agency Grand Port Maritime du Havre, a key entry point for imported equipment. An industrial mobile phone distributor in France would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. France 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress protection | IP rating for dust and water | IP68 design |
| Fleet management | EMM and MDM support | Android 16 with EMM and MDM |
| Explosion protection | A separate certificate and marking | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | France: Donges, Montoir-de-Bretagne, Feyzin and the Vallée de la Chimie | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in France. 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 France market guide.
In 2022 France announced plans to build six new reactors, reversing a 2014 plan to reduce nuclear supply, which points to long-running construction and maintenance work.
Nuclear power produces around 70% of France's electricity from 56 active reactors in 2023, so large plant outages bring many contractors to a small number of sites.
Hydropower has 20 GW of installed capacity and supplies around 10% of French electricity, and renewables provided 26% of national consumption in 2022.
The Lacq gas field in Nouvelle-Aquitaine was discovered in 1950 and began production in 1958; its sour gas comes from about 4,000 metres depth.
“Industrial” describes a phone built for plant conditions: sealed, drop-resistant and manageable at fleet scale through Android Enterprise. It does not by itself mean the phone may enter a classified area. Only a device with a valid explosion-protection certificate and marking may do that.
The IS-04Z1 is designed to be both an industrial Android phone (IP68, 4,000 mAh battery, 50 MP camera, Android 16 with EMM and MDM support) and an intrinsically safe one. Its explosion-protection certificates are in progress and have not been issued.
In France. French platforms mix site staff with maintenance and turnaround contractors who arrive in numbers. The IS-04Z1 is designed for EMM or MDM enrolment, so a fleet can be provisioned per contract. Charging belongs in a safe area, and the language set-up should suit crews working in French.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for France. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
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.
Yes by design: IP68 sealing, a 4,000 mAh battery, a 50 MP camera and Android 16 with EMM and MDM support. The explosion-protection certificates are separate and still in progress.
The market guide for France covers Gonfreville-l'Orcher, Port-Jérôme, Donges, Montoir-de-Bretagne, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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 France.
French is generally expected for instructions and safety documentation at French sites, and ATEX user instructions are typically required in the language of the destination country. International operators may also accept English. Ask the site contact which language they require for contractor equipment files.
Large reactor outages bring many contractors at once, so site access, induction and equipment registration can be tightly scheduled. Nuclear sites also have conventional hazardous areas, for example for hydrogen and fuel stores, so agree device approval early with the plant's safety office.
Zones and rules are set by the site operator and can differ between units on the same platform. A device would need a marking suitable for each zone it enters. Check the zone plan and permit rules with the platform operator before carrying a handset in.
Other guides for France, other places in France, and the pages behind them.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.