Sonangol is Angola's state-owned oil and gas company, headquartered in Luanda. Since the National Oil, Gas and Biofuel Agency (ANPG) took over regulatory functions in 2019, Sonangol operates as a commercial company with upstream, midstream and downstream activities, including the 65,000 barrel-per-day Luanda refinery. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Sonangol, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Sonangol: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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 | Sonangol: Offshore production platforms, Refinery process units, Fuel storage and distribution depots | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Angola. 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.
Sonangol runs a Supplier Portal (Portal de Fornecedores) for registration, pre-qualification and qualification; pre-registration is completed through the suppliers section of its website and is free. 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.
Angola produces roughly 1.1 million barrels a day, mostly from offshore deep-water and ultra-deep-water fields using floating production storage and offloading vessels, while older shallow-water platforms rely on ageing infrastructure.
A 200,000 barrel-a-day refinery at Lobito, with Sonangol planned to hold 70%, has been proposed but much delayed, so check current project status before assuming new refinery work.
Sonangol was instituted as a state-owned company by Directive 52/76 in 1976 to manage Angola's petroleum industry, after earlier fuel and lubricant assets had been nationalised and merged into it.
The main corporate headquarters is the Sonangol Building on Rua Rainha Ginga in the Ingombota district of Luanda, built in 2005, where about 2,000 people are employed.
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 Sonangol. Inspection rounds on offshore platforms and around the Luanda refinery involve photographing equipment, reading tags and logging faults, often in classified areas. A handheld designed as intrinsically safe could support that without carrying a laptop or separate camera. The IS-04Z1 is designed for this use, though certification is still in progress.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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.
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.
Sonangol runs a Supplier Portal (Portal de Fornecedores) for registration, pre-qualification and qualification; pre-registration is completed through the suppliers section of its website and is free.
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.
Usually not directly. Sonangol acts as concessionaire and partner, while international oil companies commonly operate the offshore blocks. Equipment standards and approved-vendor processes therefore depend on the operator of the specific field. Identify the operator and ask for its contractor and equipment requirements.
Portuguese is the official language, so manuals, labels and training for hazardous-area devices are often expected in Portuguese, while international operators commonly work in English. Confirm with the operator and Sonangol which language is required for approval and for site induction.
Not at present. Sonangol uses a Supplier Portal for registration and qualification, and SAMS expects supply after certification to come through authorised distributors. SAMS can currently share a datasheet and schedule. Check the portal's current requirements before assuming any route is open.
More on Sonangol, and on other places in Angola.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.
