LNG terminal
KOGAS operates the Incheon terminal, one of its regasification terminals, which began operating in 1996.
Incheon is South Korea's second largest port, west of Seoul, and forms the heart of the Capital Industrial Region with the Bupyeong, Juan and Namdong industrial complexes. A programme launched in 2007 aims to make Incheon as proficient in English as Singapore, which suggests English is more widely usable in the Free Economic Zone than in most Korean industrial cities. An intrinsically safe mobile phone distributor in Incheon would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Incheon 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.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. 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 | Incheon: Gas send-out, Industrial complex chemical handling, LNG storage tanks | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Incheon. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
KOGAS operates the Incheon terminal, one of its regasification terminals, which began operating in 1996.
Proximity to Seoul and Incheon International Airport makes logistics straightforward.
Incheon International Airport opened in 2001 on reclaimed land between Yeongjong and Yongyu islands, about 48 km west of Seoul, and replaced Gimpo as the capital's main international airport.
Incheon forms the heart of the Capital Industrial Region, with major industrial parks including the Bupyeong and Juan industrial complexes, so many manufacturing plants lie close to Seoul.
Bio-industry is an emerging growth sector in Incheon, with biopharmaceutical production capacity described as among the largest in the world, which adds laboratory and solvent areas to the city's industrial mix.
Incheon is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the world's fourth-largest by population, and its port and proximity to Seoul have driven its growth as a coastal industrial city.
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 Incheon. Terminal operators walk storage tanks, the jetty and send-out systems, recording readings and checks as they go. A handheld intrinsically safe phone is intended for that routine, subject to certification in progress and to KOGAS rules. It could also serve inspectors working in industrial-complex chemical areas.
A distributor for Incheon 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.
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.
Likely candidates are lng storage tanks, lng jetty and loading, gas send-out, industrial complex chemical 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 Incheon.
English is promoted through the Incheon Free English Zone programme and is more widely used in the Free Economic Zone, but safety documents at industrial plants are normally in Korean. Ask the operator whether English induction materials are available.
Yes. The airport and the port are both major hubs, and Incheon sits next to Seoul and the Capital Industrial Region. Air freight is quick, but allow time for customs, radio and safety approvals, and confirm requirements with your forwarder.
Winters on the west coast are cold, and low temperatures reduce battery capacity in any phone. The IS-04Z1 has a 4,000 mAh battery and certification in progress, with no cold-weather figures stated here. Ask for a trial in winter conditions and confirm with the site operator.
More on Incheon, and on other places in South Korea.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.