Iraq: projects and investment
In December 2024 the Iraqi Cabinet approved a Basrah to Haditha oil pipeline project valued at about 4.56 billion dollars.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, built for degassing stations, gas plants, refineries and terminals where a crew is a long way from a replacement. Rumaila holds about 17 billion barrels of reserves and produced about 1.42 million barrels a day in 2022, roughly 30 percent of Iraq's total output. Distribution partners for Iraq are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Iraq 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. 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 | Iraq: Zubair, Majnoon, Halfaya | Classified by the site operator |

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.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Iraq market guide.
In December 2024 the Iraqi Cabinet approved a Basrah to Haditha oil pipeline project valued at about 4.56 billion dollars.
Fields managed by Basra Oil Company exported about 3.23 million barrels a day from southern terminals in December 2024, nearly all of Iraq's export volume that month.
Summers from May to October are very hot and dry, with temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius, and dry dusty winds, while winters are wetter and cooler.
Umm Qasr is Iraq's main deep-water port, opened in July 1967, with a railway link to Basra and Baghdad.
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 Iraq. Crews at Rumaila, West Qurna and Zubair travel long distances between degassing stations, and a replacement device is far away. An intrinsically safe handheld lets operators record readings, photograph issues and report at the point of work. That is the design intent, pending certification and operator approval.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Iraq yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
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.
The market guide for Iraq covers Rumaila, West Qurna, Zubair, Majnoon, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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 Iraq.
The south around Basra is the heart of production and export, with Rumaila, Majnoon and other fields, while the north has Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region has its own fields. Each area has separate operators and access rules.
Summer temperatures can exceed 46 degrees Celsius, and southern Iraq regularly sees higher peaks. Dust-laden winds are also common. Choose devices with a wide operating temperature range and dust protection.
The market guide notes that the Kurdistan Region runs on its own registrations and logistics. Requirements for a project there may differ from those in the south. Check with the operator and local authorities which documents and registrations are needed before ordering.
More on Iraq, and on other places in Iraq.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.