Far from shore
Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel.
The Santos Basin is an offshore province in the South Atlantic, roughly 300 km south-east of Santos, spanning about 352,000 square kilometres and holding major pre-salt fields such as Tupi, Buzios and Mero. Giant fields found since 2007 include Tupi (about 8 billion barrels), Jupiter (about 1.6 billion barrels and 17 trillion cubic feet of gas) and Libra, estimated at 8 to 12 billion recoverable barrels. Distribution partners for Santos Basin are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Santos Basin 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.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted 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 | Santos Basin: Gas compression and export, Offloading areas, Platform process modules | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Santos Basin. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel.
Pre-salt gas reaches the onshore Boaventura plant at Itaborai through the Rota 3 pipeline.
Two new pre-salt platforms started in 2025 in the Santos Basin: the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré at the Búzios field and the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão at the Mero field.
Pre-salt reservoirs are ultra-deep carbonates, roughly 5,000 to 7,000 m total depth below a thick salt seal, which drives the high-pressure, high-temperature design of wells and topsides.
Santos, Guaruja and Ilhabela sit in the central onshore part of the basin, and the city of Rio de Janeiro is on the northern coastal edge, so supply bases cluster along that coast.
Associated gas in some pre-salt fields contains more than 20 percent CO2, which is separated on the FPSO, compressed and reinjected, so gas compression and high-pressure CO2 handling are routine offshore.
“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 Santos Basin. Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel and spares are slow to arrive. Enrolling handsets in EMM or MDM before mobilisation is practical. Charging belongs in safe areas, and spare devices are best carried with the crew.
A distributor for Santos Basin 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.
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.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
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 platform process modules, wellhead areas, gas compression and export, offloading areas. 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 Santos Basin.
Petrobras is the main operator, often in partnership with other energy companies on licences. Because induction rules and approved-device lists are set per operator and unit, confirm requirements for each asset you will visit.
It is a process condition rather than an Ex rating, but gas detection, procedures and area classification take it into account. Mobile devices still follow the unit's zone rules, so confirm with the operator which markings and approvals the platform accepts.
Not necessarily. Petrobras, Shell, Repsol and Eni each set their own policies for portable devices and approvals. Ask each operator for its Ex equipment policy and the classification of the specific unit. Confirm with the site operator before ordering.
More on Santos Basin, and on other places in Brazil.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.