North Oil Company: projects and investment
bp's contractor company for Kirkuk has agreed terms for ConocoPhillips to take 42 per cent, subject to approvals, so contractor and supplier arrangements may change during 2026.
North Oil Company · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone for North Oil Company
North Oil Company is a state-owned Iraqi company under the Ministry of Oil, headquartered in Kirkuk. It operates the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, and a redevelopment contract for these fields was signed with bp in 2025. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe mobile phone for North Oil Company, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
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
DeviceMobile Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereNorth Oil Company
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for North Oil Company: 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 mobile phone for North Oil Company
| 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 | North Oil Company: Oil production facilities, Gas plants, Pipeline stations | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Iraq
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 Iraq. 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 organisation · North Oil Company
North Oil Company (NOC): operations and where an Ex phone fits
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Sites and areas
- Kirkuk (Baba and Avanah domes)
- Bai Hassan field
- Jambur field
- Khabbaz field
Classified areas
- Oil production facilities
- Gas plants
- Pipeline stations
Supplier approval · North Oil Company
Becoming an approved supplier to North Oil Company
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
Field notes · North Oil Company
More about North Oil Company that matters for portable equipment
North Oil Company: projects and investment
The development and production contract covers an initial recovery of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent from the Baba and Avanah domes of Kirkuk and the Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields.
North Oil Company: rules and approvals
Iraq's Communications and Media Commission handles type approval for radio equipment, with procedures following EU-style compliance and usually working through local registered partners.
North Oil Company: background
bp's activity in Iraq goes back to the 1920s, when it helped locate, produce and export oil from Baba Gurgur at Kirkuk, then the largest oilfield in the world.
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 North Oil Company. Inspectors at Kirkuk-area production facilities, gas plants and pipeline stations spend shifts moving between widely spaced installations. A handheld intrinsically safe phone lets them record readings, photograph defects and read documents in the classified area itself. It would support routine rounds at pipeline stations and planned maintenance work at gas plants.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe mobile phone for North Oil Company
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 · North Oil Company
Frequently asked questions
Can North Oil Company buy the IS-04Z1 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 mobile phone for North Oil Company cost?
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
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.
How does North Oil Company approve suppliers?
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
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.
Who currently operates the Kirkuk fields?
North Oil Company and North Gas Company are the current operators, and a planned transition would move operatorship to an unincorporated organisation made up mainly of their personnel. Supplier registration and equipment approval therefore stay with the Iraqi state companies; check current requirements with them.
What is the Kirkuk redevelopment contract?
A development and production contract covering the Baba and Avanah domes of Kirkuk and the Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, with an initial resource of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent. It means ongoing upgrades alongside operating plant, with many contractors on site.
Is the redevelopment contract likely to change who approves equipment?
It may bring international contractors with their own standards onto the northern fields, but equipment approval is still run by North Oil Company itself. Ask its procurement and HSE teams which paperwork they require, and do not assume a contractor's approval applies. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Related guides for North Oil Company and for Iraq.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for North Oil CompanySame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for Basra Oil CompanyElsewhere in Iraq
Iraq market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for IraqEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · North Oil Company
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for North Oil Company, Iraq
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Enquiry · North Oil Company
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for North Oil Company?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.