Saudi Aramco: projects and investment
In 2001 the Gas Initiative proposed three joint ventures with international oil companies for gas exploration, including South Ghawar and the northern Rub' Al-Khali, Red Sea and Shaybah areas.
Saudi Aramco · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone for Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco is the Saudi state-controlled energy company, operating onshore and offshore oil and gas fields, gas systems, refining and chemicals. Its facilities include Ghawar, Safaniya, Abqaiq, Ras Tanura, Jubail and Yanbu. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Saudi Aramco, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
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
WhereSaudi Aramco
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Saudi Aramco: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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.
At a glance · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe mobile phone for Saudi Aramco
| 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 | Saudi Aramco: Refinery process units, Offshore platforms, Export terminals | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Saudi Arabia
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 Saudi Arabia. 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 · Saudi Aramco
Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and the IS-04Z1
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
Sites and areas
- Ghawar
- Safaniya (offshore)
- Abqaiq
- Ras Tanura
Classified areas
- Refinery process units
- Offshore platforms
- Export terminals
- Oil and gas fields
Supplier approval · Saudi Aramco
Supplier registration at Saudi Aramco
Aramco requires suppliers to register through its e-Marketplace Platform, handled by its Dhahran office for Saudi-based and many regional suppliers; registration and qualification do not guarantee business. 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 · Saudi Aramco
More about Saudi Aramco that matters for portable equipment
Saudi Aramco: industry on the ground
In 2024 Aramco's oil and gas production totalled 12.7 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, and its headquarters are in Dhahran in the Eastern Province.
Saudi Aramco: who works there
Aramco's joint ventures and affiliates include SATORP, Petro Rabigh, Yasref, SASREF and Luberef, and it holds a 70 per cent share of SABIC, so refining and chemicals sit beside upstream work.
Saudi Aramco: background
Dammam No. 7 struck oil in 1938 and became the first commercial oil well in Saudi Arabia, starting the development of the Eastern Province fields that Aramco still runs.
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 Saudi Aramco. Rounds at oil and gas fields such as Ghawar, offshore platforms like Safaniya, and export terminals involve long travel and demanding inspection routes. A handheld designed for intrinsic safety could log readings, take photos and place calls in classified spots if its certificate permits. Permit regimes at Aramco sites belong to Aramco.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Saudi Aramco
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 · Saudi Aramco
Frequently asked questions
Can Saudi Aramco buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Saudi Aramco cost?
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.
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 Saudi Aramco approve suppliers?
Aramco requires suppliers to register through its e-Marketplace Platform, handled by its Dhahran office for Saudi-based and many regional suppliers; registration and qualification do not guarantee business.
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.
How do Aramco joint ventures such as SATORP or Petro Rabigh differ?
These ventures are run as separate companies with their own site HSE rules and supplier lists, although they often follow Aramco-derived specifications. Confirm with the specific joint venture's procurement and HSE teams, because approval at Aramco does not automatically give access to its affiliates.
Which Aramco locations typically involve Zone 1 areas?
Typically wellsites, gas-oil separation plants, gas processing plants, refineries, tank farms and loading terminals, and offshore platforms. Aramco classifies every facility under its own engineering standards, so request the hazardous-area drawing and the gas group and temperature class before choosing a phone or tablet.
Could the phone be used on offshore platforms such as Safaniya?
Only if the final certificate, gas group and temperature class suit the platform area and the operator permits it. The IS-04Z1 is designed for intrinsically safe handheld use with IP68 protection, but no certificate has been issued. Offshore connectivity and charging need planning too.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Other guides for Saudi Aramco, other places in Saudi Arabia, and the pages behind them.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for Saudi AramcoSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone for Saudi AramcoSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone for Saudi AramcoSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for Saudi AramcoSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for Ma'adenElsewhere in Saudi Arabia
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for SABICElsewhere in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for Saudi ArabiaEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Saudi Aramco
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · Saudi Aramco
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Saudi Aramco?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.