Mature fields
The fields have produced for decades, so work centres on rehabilitation, maintenance and well work; a BP redevelopment contract was finalised in 2025.
Kirkuk is the centre of northern Iraq's oil industry; the Baba Gurgur discovery in 1927 launched exports from the Kirkuk field. The Baba and Avanah domes and the adjacent Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields are operated by the North Oil Company. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Kirkuk, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Kirkuk: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. 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 | Kirkuk: Wellheads and gathering stations, Gas processing, Crude pumping and pipeline facilities | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kirkuk. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
The fields have produced for decades, so work centres on rehabilitation, maintenance and well work; a BP redevelopment contract was finalised in 2025.
Access to oilfield sites is normally by operator-issued permit, so plan visits and deliveries ahead.
Kirkuk has a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen and Arabs, so crews and local contractors may work in Arabic, Kurdish or Turkmen, and clear multilingual instructions help.
BP signed a preliminary deal to develop the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields, which it estimates hold about nine billion barrels of recoverable oil, under a profit-sharing model.
Summers from May to October are very hot and dry with temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius, and dry dusty winds are common.
Telecom equipment sold in Iraq needs Communications and Media Commission type approval, with certificates valid for one year and a local partner involved.
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 Kirkuk. Mature fields mean frequent well work, maintenance and inspection visits across wellheads, stations and pumping facilities. A handheld that is intrinsically safe lets a crew photograph equipment, fill in permits and report while moving through classified areas. That is the working pattern the IS-04Z1 is designed for, once certified and accepted by the operator.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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 wellheads and gathering stations, gas processing, crude pumping and pipeline facilities. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
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.
The North Oil Company and any partner operators run site permits and supplier checks. Ask your sponsor for the current procedure and for the equipment approval list.
Older plants may have mixed equipment and documentation, so confirm the actual area classification and gas group before taking devices on site. The operator can supply current drawings.
Access to oilfield sites is normally by operator-issued permit, so visits and deliveries need advance planning. Agree the permit route with the operator or its contractor before shipping, and allow time for formal tender and approval steps. Confirm the process with the site operator.
More on Kirkuk, and on other places in Iraq.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.