Bakken
Bakken output rose through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, with North Dakota and Montana passing 1 million barrels a day in April 2014.
US shale oil comes mainly from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico and the Bakken in North Dakota. Private ownership of subsurface mineral rights in the United States makes it easier to lease land for drilling, which has encouraged a large number of independent operators. An intrinsically safe mobile phone distributor in US shale oil operations would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. US shale oil operations 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 | US shale oil operations: Compressor stations, Gas gathering and processing, Drilling rigs | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in US Shale Oil Operations. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
Bakken output rose through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, with North Dakota and Montana passing 1 million barrels a day in April 2014.
Fields are remote, with heat in West Texas and cold winters in North Dakota.
About two thirds of the world's active drilling rigs are in the United States and Canada, and many independent operators and contractors have shale expertise, so crews and service firms are plentiful.
Tight oil formations in the United States include the Bakken, Niobrara, Barnett and Eagle Ford shales, spread across several states and climates.
Tight reservoirs typically need roughly 15 to 20 percent natural gas in the pore space to drive the oil, so oil wells commonly come with associated gas to handle.
Tight oil is light crude held in low-permeability formations and is produced with hydraulic fracturing and horizontal wells; at least 4,000 new shale wells came online in 2012 alone.
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 US shale oil operations. Shale field crews visit many wellsites and tank batteries, in both hot West Texas and cold North Dakota conditions. An intrinsically safe handheld is designed to be carried into Zone 1 areas for gauging records and photographs. Battery behaviour across that temperature spread should be evaluated, and certification must come first.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for US shale oil operations. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
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 drilling rigs, wellsites and tank batteries, compressor stations, gas gathering and processing. 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 US shale oil operations.
North Dakota has deep winter cold, West Texas has heat and dust, and the Gulf Coast side has humidity and hurricanes. Check a device's temperature, dust and water ratings against the specific region and season.
Wellpads, separators, tank batteries and compressors may contain flammable gas or vapour, and the operator defines classified areas. Operations are dispersed, so lone-worker safety and battery life are often as important as classification.
Fields are remote, with heat in West Texas and cold winters in North Dakota. Check the datasheet's temperature range once published, keep spare charged devices in safe areas, and trial the phone in your own climate. IP68 does not change battery behaviour at temperature extremes.
Related guides for US Shale Oil Operations and for United States.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.