A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on the gas fields of Sindh and Balochistan, the refineries at Karachi, Attock and Mahmood Kot, the LNG terminals at Port Qasim and the fertiliser plants. Domestic refining typically meets about 60% of Pakistan's diesel, 30% of motor gasoline and all jet fuel demand, so the rest arrives as imports through port terminals. An intrinsically safe smartphone distributor in Pakistan would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Pakistan 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.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | Pakistan: Port Qasim, Karachi, Korangi, Karachi, Hub, Balochistan | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Pakistan. 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 Pakistan market guide.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, headquartered in Islamabad, regulates telecom systems and radio spectrum under the 1996 Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, with zonal offices in Karachi, Lahore, Gwadar, Quetta, Peshawar and other cities.
Pakistan's first gas field was found near Sui in Balochistan in 1952, and the Sui area remains a name associated with the country's gas supply and upstream classified-area work.
Port Qasim near Karachi handles about 35% of Pakistan's cargo, roughly 17 million tonnes a year, and with Karachi port carries almost 90% of external trade, so most imported equipment clears through these two ports.
Five main refineries have a combined capacity of about 450,000 barrels a day, producing diesel, motor gasoline, furnace oil, jet fuel, kerosene, LPG and naphtha, so product storage and loading areas are widespread.
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 Pakistan. Rounds at a wellsite, a compressor station, a Port Qasim LNG terminal or a fertiliser plant make many entries into classified ground. An intrinsically safe handheld lets an operator photograph, log and scan equipment on foot. Because there is no safe-area socket mid shift, the battery must carry a working day.
A distributor for Pakistan would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
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 Pakistan covers Sui, Balochistan, Daharki and Ghotki, Sindh, Port Qasim, Karachi, Korangi, Karachi, 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 Pakistan.
Examples include the Sui gas area in Balochistan, the Toot field in Punjab, Lower Sindh gas fields and the five main refineries. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is decided by each operator, so ask for its hazardous-area drawings.
Operators commonly ask for recognised international certification such as IECEx or ATEX against IEC 60079, but acceptance is set site by site. Request the operator's equipment approval procedure and provide certificates, marking details and manufacturer instructions with your submission.
Coverage depends on the carrier, not the handset. The device is designed to fall back to plant Wi-Fi where the signal is thin, but that depends on the site's network. Confirm with the field operator what connectivity is available before relying on it for work orders.
More on Pakistan, and on other places in Pakistan.
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.
