Active development
ARC Resources has described Attachie near Fort St. John producing more than 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, including condensate.
The Montney Formation covers about 130,000 square kilometres of British Columbia and Alberta and is a major shale gas and tight oil resource. The Montney Formation was first described in 1962 from Texaco's Buick Creek No. 7 well, drilled 41 km north of Fort St. John immediately east of the Alaska Highway. Distribution partners for Montney gas play are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Montney gas play 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. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | Montney gas play: Compressor stations, Condensate handling, Wellpads and wellheads | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Montney Gas Field. 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.
ARC Resources has described Attachie near Fort St. John producing more than 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, including condensate.
Gas from the Montney supplies LNG Canada via the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
Most of the gas lies in about 35,000 km2 on the Montney's west side, of which roughly 25,000 km2 of core areas are developed first because of better reservoir quality.
Average Montney wells ramp up over the first one to three months, peak and then decline steeply, so operators keep drilling and completing new wells to hold output, which sustains demand for field services.
The Montney Formation covers about 130,000 km2 in western Canada and could produce about 449 trillion cubic feet of natural gas with modern technology, making it one of North America's largest gas resources.
Grande Prairie, a regional service hub, reports Montney output has doubled since 2012 and is a third of Western Canada's gas, projected to exceed half of national output by 2040.
“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 Montney gas play. Because facilities are dispersed across the play, a fleet of devices may be used by field teams who rarely visit an office. EMM or MDM enrolment, including remote updates, is valuable. The IS-04Z1 is designed for Android 16 management. Charging would be in safe areas, and network coverage should be tested.
A distributor for Montney gas play would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
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.
Likely candidates are wellpads and wellheads, gas processing plants, compressor stations, condensate handling. 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 Montney gas play.
Northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia have cold winters, so devices need low-temperature ratings and warm storage. Confirm the operator's winter equipment guidance and temperature class.
Mostly by field road from service hubs such as Grande Prairie, with winter and spring access depending on road conditions. Confirm access arrangements and vehicle rules for powered devices with the operator.
Not necessarily. The play spans two provinces and several operators, each with its own HSE approval. A manufacturer certificate would help, but operators decide what they accept. Confirm the jurisdiction and equipment approval requirements for each site, and ask each operator what documents it needs.
Other guides for Montney Gas Field, other places in Canada, 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.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.