KOC: rules and approvals
According to supplier guides, a company usually needs approved status on KOC's eBusiness portal before it can receive tender invitations or purchase orders. Check the current process with KOC itself.
KOC · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Smartphone for KOC
Kuwait Oil Company is a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and holds the sole rights to explore for, produce and develop oil and gas in Kuwait. Its main fields include Burgan, Magwa, Ahmadi, Raudhatain, Sabriya and Minagish. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for KOC, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicintrinsically safe
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereKOC
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for KOC: 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.
At a glance · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe smartphone for KOC
| 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 | KOC: Oil and gas production facilities, Wellheads and well pads, Gathering and processing facilities | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Kuwait
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kuwait. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The organisation · KOC
Kuwait Oil Company: operations and where an Ex phone fits
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Sites and areas
- Burgan
- Magwa
- Ahmadi
- Raudhatain
Classified areas
- Oil and gas production facilities
- Wellheads and well pads
- Gathering and processing facilities
Supplier approval · KOC
How suppliers reach KOC
KOC runs an eBusiness portal that lists tenders and handles prequalification of contractors and manufacturers; advanced features are for registered business partners. 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.
Field notes · KOC
More about KOC that matters for portable equipment
KOC: projects and investment
In late 2023 KOC launched its first offshore drilling campaign in decades, placing rigs in the Gulf to look for new oil and gas reserves, which adds marine-type hazardous-area work to a mainly onshore business.
KOC: infrastructure
In May 2024 KOC and the Ministry of Electricity and Water announced plans for a 1 gigawatt solar project, to be built and run by a selected operator under a long-term power purchase agreement.
KOC: industry on the ground
KOC produces Kuwait Export Crude and Kuwait Super Light Crude, and is developing heavy crude from the Lower Fars formation, which usually means more heated and pressurised handling than light oil.
The term · intrinsically safe
What “intrinsically safe” means for a smartphone
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 KOC. Field operators drive between well pads and gathering facilities across Burgan, Magwa, Ahmadi, Raudhatain, Sabriya and Minagish, inspecting equipment at each. A handheld intrinsically safe phone lets them photograph wellheads, log readings and report faults on the spot, instead of keeping notes for later. That suits routine rounds and well-intervention support.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for KOC
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · KOC
Frequently asked questions
Can KOC buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an intrinsically safe smartphone for KOC cost?
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
What does ‘intrinsically safe’ mean for the IS-04Z1?
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.
How does KOC approve suppliers?
KOC runs an eBusiness portal that lists tenders and handles prequalification of contractors and manufacturers; advanced features are for registered business partners. Confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Do I need KOC approval before supplying handheld devices for its fields?
Supplier guides indicate that KOC expects registered, approved status on its supplier portal before bids or purchase orders, and classified-area equipment is normally checked against the operator's own HSE and electrical rules. Confirm the current registration steps and equipment approval route directly with KOC procurement and HSE.
Is approval with KOC accepted by other Kuwait Petroleum Corporation companies?
KOC is a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, but supplier guides say each KPC company keeps its own vendor database and criteria, so registration with one does not carry over automatically. KOC status is often viewed as a quality signal elsewhere in the group; verify each company's requirements separately.
Will desert heat and dust affect a handheld in the field?
Both are severe in summer. IP68 sealing helps against dust, but batteries lose capacity in heat, so keep spares in shade and charge in safe areas. IP68 is not explosion protection. Check the datasheet temperature range and trial devices at a well pad before committing to a fleet.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on KOC, and on other places in Kuwait.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone for KOCSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Supplier for KOCSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for KOCSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for KOCSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for PICElsewhere in Kuwait
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for KNPCElsewhere in Kuwait
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for EQUATEElsewhere in Kuwait
Kuwait market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for KuwaitEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · KOC
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for KOC, Kuwait
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · KOC
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for KOC?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.