Sonatrach: projects and investment
In February 2022 Sonatrach signed a contract to build a 150,000 cubic metre LNG storage tank at the Skikda gas export terminal, adding a new cryogenic storage area to the coastal complex.
Sonatrach · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Smartphone for Sonatrach
Sonatrach is Algeria's state-owned national hydrocarbons company, established in 1963. It covers exploration and production, pipeline transport, liquefaction and separation, refining and petrochemicals, and marketing, through more than 150 subsidiaries and affiliates. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Sonatrach, 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
WhereSonatrach
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Sonatrach: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 Sonatrach
| 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 | Sonatrach: LNG liquefaction, Refinery process units, Pipeline terminals | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Algeria
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 Algeria. 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 · Sonatrach
Working with Sonatrach (Societe Nationale pour la Recherche, la Production, le Transport, la Transformation et la Commercialisation des Hydrocarbures): sites and classified areas
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
Sites and areas
- Hassi Messaoud oil field
- Hassi R'Mel gas field
- Skikda
- Arzew
Classified areas
- LNG liquefaction
- Refinery process units
- Pipeline terminals
- Oil and gas production facilities
Supplier approval · Sonatrach
How suppliers reach Sonatrach
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.
Field notes · Sonatrach
More about Sonatrach that matters for portable equipment
Sonatrach: projects and investment
Production began at the Tinrhert gas field at the end of 2022, expected to yield about 500 tonnes of liquefied gas and 800 tonnes of condensate a day, and the Hassi Bir Rekaiz field reached first oil in June 2022.
Sonatrach: logistics and access
Sonatrach holds 51% of the Medgaz pipeline to Spain, with Naturgy holding 49%, and works with Eni on the Transmed pipeline to Italy, so export gas flows through large compressor and metering stations.
Sonatrach: geography and layout
It operates Hassi Messaoud, Algeria's largest oil field, and the Hassi R'Mel field south of Algiers, plus other fields such as Tin Fouye Tabankort, Zarzaitine and Haoud Berkaoui, mostly in the Saharan interior.
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 Sonatrach. Operators on a Sonatrach site walk long routes between wellheads, gas processing areas, liquefaction trains and pipeline terminals. A handheld that is intrinsically safe by design could carry a camera and Android apps without a separate permit for each tool. The IS-04Z1 is designed for that, though certification is still in progress.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Sonatrach
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 · Sonatrach
Frequently asked questions
Can Sonatrach buy the IS-04Z1 today?
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
What does an intrinsically safe smartphone for Sonatrach cost?
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.
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 Sonatrach approve suppliers?
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; 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.
Which Sonatrach sites would need intrinsically safe phones?
Typical Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas are found at wellheads, gas treatment and compression plants at Hassi Messaoud and Hassi R'Mel, pipeline stations, and the LNG and liquids terminals at Arzew and Skikda. Classification is site-specific, so ask the facility for area drawings before choosing devices.
How do suppliers get approved by Sonatrach?
Sonatrach and its subsidiaries manage their own procurement, typically through registration, tenders and technical evaluation, and joint ventures with international partners may add their own requirements. There is no public approved list, so confirm the current route with the relevant Sonatrach entity.
How should a handset be checked before use at Hassi Messaoud or Hassi R'Mel?
Ask for the certificate, schedule of conditions and marking, and compare them with the zone and gas group in the site's classification documents. Contractor induction and permit rules also apply. The IS-04Z1 is still in certification, so confirm current requirements with Sonatrach's procurement and HSE teams before any evaluation unit is taken on site.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Other guides for Sonatrach, other places in Algeria, and the pages behind them.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for SonatrachSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for SonatrachSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone for SonatrachSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for SonatrachSame place, different guide
Algeria market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for AlgeriaEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Sonatrach
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Sonatrach, Algeria
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Enquiry · Sonatrach
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Sonatrach?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.