PDO: who works there
PDO is owned 60 per cent by the Government of Oman, 34 per cent by Shell, 4 per cent by TotalEnergies and 2 per cent by Partex, and employs more than 9,000 people.
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is Oman's main oil and gas producer, operating a concession of about 90,000 square kilometres. Supplier guides stress that PDO assesses safety, quality and local value creation when approving vendors, so contractors working in its fields should expect safety induction and local content questions. Buyers searching for an intrinsically safe mobile phone supplier for PDO can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An intrinsically safe mobile phone for PDO cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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 | PDO: Wellheads and flowlines, Gas processing plants, Oil production and gathering stations | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Oman. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
Joint Supplier Registration System (JSRS) certification from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals is a prerequisite before suppliers can be qualified by PDO; PDO's website has a Vendor Corner for registration. 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.
PDO is owned 60 per cent by the Government of Oman, 34 per cent by Shell, 4 per cent by TotalEnergies and 2 per cent by Partex, and employs more than 9,000 people.
A 276 kilometre pipeline from the interior fields to the coast was laid in the 1960s, ending at an industrial complex, tank farm and marine terminal at Mina al Fahal near Muscat.
PDO's headquarters are at Mina Al Fahal in Muscat, and supplier guides say firms generally cannot bid on PDO tenders without prior vendor registration and approval.
PDO's name was shortened to Petroleum Development (Oman) in 1951 after the Dhofar concession lapsed, and the company later operated as Petroleum Development Oman from 1967.
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 PDO. Operators here walk wellheads, gathering stations and gas plants on inspection rounds, often with long drives between them. A handheld designed for intrinsic safety lets an operator photograph a gauge, log a reading or call the control room without a hot-work or gas-free permit for the device itself. Permit rules still belong to PDO.
Nothing can be bought for PDO today: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, and SAMS will supply end users through authorised distributors once certificates exist. What a buyer can do now is take the specification, ask for the written certification schedule and arrange a safe-area evaluation, so that the right local channel contacts you at launch.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated 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.
Joint Supplier Registration System (JSRS) certification from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals is a prerequisite before suppliers can be qualified by PDO; PDO's website has a Vendor Corner for registration.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Interior fields combine high summer heat, fine dust and long distances from workshops, so check the operating temperature range, ingress protection against dust, battery behaviour in heat and the availability of field support. Confirm any site-specific limits with the PDO asset team before deployment.
Supplier guides indicate PDO requires registered, approved vendors before tenders, and assesses safety, quality and local value creation. For classified areas, expect the equipment to be checked against PDO's own HSE and electrical standards. Confirm current registration and approval steps directly with PDO procurement and HSE.
The sheet states that JSRS certification from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals is a prerequisite before PDO can qualify suppliers, and PDO has a Vendor Corner for registration. Confirm the current steps with PDO's procurement team. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch with certification in progress.
Other guides for PDO, other places in Oman, and the pages behind them.
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.