United Kingdom: industry on the ground
UK crude oil and condensate production had fallen to about 630,000 barrels a day by 2024, so much of the current work is maintenance, life extension and decommissioning of mature installations.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 work, from a North Sea deck to a gas governor kiosk at the end of a street. Buyers searching for an intrinsically safe cell phone supplier for United Kingdom can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An intrinsically safe cell phone for United Kingdom 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.
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.
| 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 | United Kingdom: Fawley, Stanlow, Aberdeen | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in United Kingdom. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS United Kingdom market guide covers.
UK crude oil and condensate production had fallen to about 630,000 barrels a day by 2024, so much of the current work is maintenance, life extension and decommissioning of mature installations.
About 98 per cent of UK oil and gas production comes from offshore fields, and the services industry in Aberdeen has been a leader in offshore technology.
The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 require employers to identify and classify areas where explosive atmospheres may occur and to avoid ignition sources from unprotected equipment in them.
Since 1 October 2024 CE marking has been recognised in Great Britain without an end date, so ATEX-certified products can be sold there without UKCA, while Northern Ireland still requires CE.
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 United Kingdom. Intrinsic safety suits the long shifts on a platform or terminal and the lone-worker visits to rural gas sites. A handheld that limits ignition energy lets a worker take photographs sharp enough for permit or inspection evidence, avoiding a second trip into the zone, and keep a position and connection.
Nothing can be bought for United Kingdom today: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, and SAMS will supply end users through authorised distributors once certificates exist. What a buyer can do now is take the specification, ask for the written certification schedule and arrange a safe-area evaluation, so that the right local channel contacts you at launch.
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 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.
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.
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 United Kingdom covers Aberdeen, St Fergus, Sullom Voe, Grangemouth, 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.
DSEAR places duties on employers to classify areas where explosive atmospheres may occur and to avoid ignition sources from unprotected equipment. A site will therefore expect devices used in classified areas to be suitable for the zone, gas group and temperature class stated in its area classification records.
Yes. Since 1 October 2024 CE marking has been recognised in Great Britain without an end date, so an ATEX-certified product can be sold there without UKCA, although a UKCA route with a UK approved body also exists. Northern Ireland still requires CE. Check the current rules before shipping.
It combines 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and four-constellation GNSS to hold a position and a connection where one network is not enough. Actual coverage depends on the site, so test the unit on your own route before relying on it.
Related guides for United Kingdom and for United Kingdom.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.