The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 work, from a North Sea deck to a gas governor kiosk at the end of a street. About 98 per cent of UK oil and gas production comes from offshore fields, and the services industry in Aberdeen has been a leader in offshore technology. Distribution partners for United Kingdom are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. United Kingdom 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.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 | United Kingdom: Sullom Voe, Grangemouth, Fawley | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in United Kingdom. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS United Kingdom market guide covers.
The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 require employers to identify and classify areas where explosive atmospheres may occur and to avoid ignition sources from unprotected equipment in them.
Since 1 October 2024 CE marking has been recognised in Great Britain without an end date, so ATEX-certified products can be sold there without UKCA, while Northern Ireland still requires CE.
Great Britain applies SI 2016 No. 1107, the UK version of the ATEX rules, so equipment for explosive atmospheres is assessed by UK approved bodies and carries UKCA marking and a body number.
Historically most UK gas came from Morecambe Bay and the Southern North Sea off East Anglia and Lincolnshire, both now in decline, while oil comes mainly from the Central Graben of the North Sea.
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 United Kingdom. Intrinsic safety suits the long shifts on a platform or terminal and the lone-worker visits to rural gas sites. A handheld that limits ignition energy lets a worker take photographs sharp enough for permit or inspection evidence, avoiding a second trip into the zone, and keep a position and connection.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for United Kingdom 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.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
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 United Kingdom covers Aberdeen, St Fergus, Sullom Voe, Grangemouth, 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 United Kingdom.
Offshore installations typically add their own permit-to-work, helicopter-transport and zone rules on top of UK law, and operators often keep lists of approved portable devices. Ask the duty holder or contractor for its approved-equipment procedure before sending devices offshore.
Equipment for Great Britain can be placed on the market under UKCA, using SI 2016 No. 1107 and a UK approved body, or under CE. Manufacturers usually keep both routes open if they sell in the EU too. Confirm the current labelling and importer details requirements with a UK approved body.
The 50 MP camera with PDAF is designed to give photographs sharp enough to act on, and GNSS can record where each was taken. Whether they are accepted as permit evidence is a matter for your duty holder and permit-to-work procedure.
More on United Kingdom, and on other places in United Kingdom.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.
