Belgium: infrastructure
Nuclear power typically supplies 50-60% of domestic electricity, and in 2023 the lives of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 were extended to 2035, so long-running plant maintenance continues alongside the gas network.
Belgium · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Cell Phone in Belgium
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, aimed at the chemical belt along the Scheldt, the terminals at Zeebrugge and the platforms in Hainaut. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe cell phone for Belgium, 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 topicintrinsically safe
DeviceCell Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereBelgium
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Belgium: 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 · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe cell phone for Belgium
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | Belgium: Antwerp right bank, Antwerp left bank, Zeebrugge | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Belgium
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 Belgium. 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 market · Belgium
Where an Ex phone is used in Belgium
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Belgium market guide.
Operators, EPCs and contractors
- BASF Antwerpen
- Second largest BASF site in the world, on the right bank.
- TotalEnergies
- Antwerp refining and petrochemical platform, its largest integrated site in Europe.
- ExxonMobil
- Antwerp refinery, coker and lubricants production on the Scheldt.
- INEOS
- Project ONE ethane cracker under construction on the left bank.
- Covestro
- Polyurethane and polycarbonate production inside the Antwerp cluster.
- Borealis
- Polyolefin production at Kallo and Beringen.
Industrial areas and sites
- Antwerp right bank
- The Scheldelaan chemical belt, from BASF to the refineries.
- Antwerp left bank
- Kallo and Doel, with crackers, polymers and Project ONE.
- Zeebrugge
- LNG import terminal, jetties and the gas interconnection point.
- Ghent canal zone
- North Sea Port industry along the canal to Terneuzen.
- Feluy
- Hainaut petrochemical platform and polymer production.
- Jemeppe-sur-Sambre
- Chemical site in the Sambre valley near Namur.
Field notes · Belgium
More about Belgium that matters for portable equipment
Belgium: logistics and access
Belgium imports raw materials and semi-finished goods and re-exports them after processing, with the Port of Antwerp the most notable of its ports, canals, railways and highways.
Belgium: infrastructure
After Groningen gas supply fell, Belgium converted affected customers from low-calorific L-gas to high-calorific H-gas, a programme that began in 2018 and was completed by the end of summer 2024.
Belgium: rules and approvals
Under ATEX, equipment in use before July 2003 can remain in use indefinitely provided a risk assessment shows it is safe, which matters when mixing older and newer devices at long-established plants.
The term · intrinsically safe
What “intrinsically safe” means for a smartphone
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In Belgium. Turnaround shifts at Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Feluy involve long days inside plant fences with a work order application open and no charging point in a classified area. An intrinsically safe handheld is designed for those rounds, with a 4,000 mAh battery sized for a full stop shift, since walking out to charge costs more than the battery.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe cell phone for Belgium
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 · Belgium
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy an intrinsically safe cell phone in Belgium today?
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.
What does an intrinsically safe cell phone in Belgium 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.
What does ‘intrinsically safe’ mean for the IS-04Z1?
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
Which sites in Belgium does this cover?
The market guide for Belgium covers Antwerp right bank, Antwerp left bank, Zeebrugge, Ghent canal zone, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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.
Can I use older Ex equipment alongside new devices in Belgium?
ATEX allows equipment in use before July 2003 to remain in service if a risk assessment shows it is safe. New purchases need to meet the current Directive. Keep the operator's risk assessment on file and ask whether it has additional internal rules for handheld devices.
Where in Belgium is chemical hazardous-area work concentrated?
The Antwerp port area and Flanders are the best-known concentration, with further industry along the Sillon industriel through Liège and Charleroi. Details of individual plants and zones are held by each operator, so request their layout drawings when planning.
Which language must the instructions be in?
Belgian rules expect information that reaches a worker to be in the language of the region where the work happens: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, and both in Brussels. The manual, safe-use instructions and declaration of conformity are planned in Dutch and French. Certification is still in progress. Check the wording with your site safety adviser.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Related guides for Belgium and for Belgium.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier in BelgiumSame place, different guide
Industrial Mobile Phone in BelgiumSame place, different guide
Ex-Proof Mobile Phone Supplier in BelgiumSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in BelgiumSame place, different guide
Rugged Mobile Phone in BelgiumSame place, different guide
Hazardous Area Mobile Phone Supplier in BelgiumSame place, different guide
Belgium market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for BelgiumEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Belgium
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Belgium
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · Belgium
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Belgium?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.