Switzerland: infrastructure
Switzerland relies mainly on hydroelectric power, nuclear power and natural gas, and plans to phase out its five nuclear power plants as they reach the end of their lives, with 2044 given as a phase-out date.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for solvent and powder atmospheres, from a production building in Basel or Visp to a loading rack at Cressier and a digester hall at a cantonal wastewater works. This page sets out how an intrinsically safe cell phone supply route to Switzerland will work for the IS-04Z1, and what is and is not available before launch.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An intrinsically safe cell phone for Switzerland cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Switzerland: Schaffhausen, Cressier, Basel and Schweizerhalle | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Switzerland. 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 Switzerland market guide.
Switzerland relies mainly on hydroelectric power, nuclear power and natural gas, and plans to phase out its five nuclear power plants as they reach the end of their lives, with 2044 given as a phase-out date.
Basel is Switzerland's main pharmaceutical centre, home to both Novartis and Roche.
Petroleum and motor fuels account for 43% of energy consumed, electricity 26% and gas 15%, with households and transport each using about one third and manufacturing and services each just under one fifth.
Machinery, chemicals, vehicles and metals are leading industries, so classified areas occur more in chemical and pharmaceutical plants and process industry than in oil and gas.
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 Switzerland. Intrinsic safety suits short, frequent rounds through multi-room pharmaceutical buildings and the depots at Vernier, where a handheld must be wiped between rooms and carried across airlocks. One device rated for both gas and dust removes the swap at the airlock, and a full shift on one charge avoids interruptions.
There is no stock to order for Switzerland yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, certification is in progress, and supply will run through authorised distributors after the certificates are issued. Procurement teams can prepare now with the datasheet, the certification schedule and a safe-area evaluation.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
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.
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.
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.
The market guide for Switzerland covers Basel and Schweizerhalle, Visp, Monthey, Kaisten and the Fricktal, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Chemical and pharmaceutical plants, fuel depots, gas networks, wastewater and biogas plants, and some manufacturing lines. The economy leans on machinery, chemicals, vehicles and metals more than oil and gas. Ask each site for its explosion protection document to see where zones exist.
Alpine sites can be very cold, with snow and large temperature swings, which reduces battery capacity and affects touchscreen use with gloves. Check the lowest rated ambient temperature on the certificate and the water ingress rating, and carry spare batteries in warm storage.
Android 16 carries German and the other working languages used in Switzerland, according to the sheet. Confirm the specific language packs and keyboard layouts you need during an evaluation, particularly for crews who work across language regions.
Related guides for Switzerland and for Switzerland.
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.