KazMunayGas is Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company, formed in 2002 and headquartered in Astana. It has upstream, transport and refining interests, including the Atyrau and Pavlodar refineries, a 50% stake in the Shymkent refinery and a 20% stake in Tengizchevroil. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe smartphone for KazMunayGas, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for KazMunayGas: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. 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 | KazMunayGas: Refinery process units, Oil and gas production facilities, Pipeline stations | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kazakhstan. 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.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. 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.
The group's refining and marketing business includes the Atyrau refinery, where a multi-billion-dollar modernisation plan and a deep oil refining complex were financed, so new process units bring fresh classified areas.
Two noted producing fields operated within the group are Uzenmunaigas and Embamunaigas, both in western Kazakhstan, which gives a practical picture of where field-level contractor work is concentrated.
KazTransGas handles gas transportation inside the group, which means compressor stations and gas pipeline sites form a separate hazardous-area workforce from the oilfield and refinery operations.
In January 2023 the company signed a strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports Company on marine fleet and coastal infrastructure in the Caspian and Black Seas, pointing to growing port and vessel activity.
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 KazMunayGas. Operators at Atyrau, Pavlodar and Shymkent walk between process units, tank areas and pipeline stations during every shift. A handheld intrinsically safe phone lets them scan tags, photograph faults and send reports from inside the classified area itself. It would also help turnaround crews who need instructions and photographs close to live equipment.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
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.
Tengizchevroil is a joint venture with international partners, so its contractors usually work to its own standards and induction process rather than to KazMunayGas rules alone. Treat the joint venture and the national company as separate customers and check each one's approved equipment requirements.
Refineries typically contain Zone 1 and Zone 2 gas areas around process units, loading and tank farms. Because a large modernisation programme added new units, area classification may have changed. Confirm the current zoning and permit-to-work practice with refinery HSE before deploying phones.
Very cold weather reduces battery capacity and can slow screens, while snow and dust are handled by IP68 sealing, which is not an explosion rating. Test the device at the lowest temperatures on your sites, keep spares warm and charge in safe areas. Check the operating range on the datasheet.
More on KazMunayGas, and on other places in Kazakhstan.
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.
