Angola: industry on the ground
Angola LNG at Soyo in Zaire Province is the country's first LNG export plant, a single train rated at about 5.2 million tonnes a year and built to use offshore associated gas.
A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on Angola's deepwater FPSOs, the Cabinda and Soyo onshore facilities, Angola LNG and the Luanda refinery. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Angola, 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 Angola: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. 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 | Angola: Luanda, Soyo, Zaire province, Cabinda and Malongo | 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.
The classified areas, operators and sites below are the ones covered in the SAMS Angola market guide.
Angola LNG at Soyo in Zaire Province is the country's first LNG export plant, a single train rated at about 5.2 million tonnes a year and built to use offshore associated gas.
The Soyo plant uses ConocoPhillips' Optimized Cascade liquefaction process and also produces propane, butane and condensate, which means pressurised hydrocarbon storage and loading areas.
Sonangol was created as a state company in 1976 after the nationalisation of ANGOL, and later grew subsidiaries in seismic, engineering, shipping and telecommunications services.
Sonangol's logistics arm SONILS runs an onshore petroleum supply base of about two million square metres in Luanda Bay with a 2 km quay, inaugurated in 1995 and later extended in 1998, 2004, 2008 and 2012.
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 Angola. Offshore rounds in Angola involve helidecks, boat transfers, wet decks and process modules where there is no safe socket mid shift. An intrinsically safe handheld is designed to be taken straight onto the deck for photographs, tag scans and gauge readings, which a standard phone could not do. The 4,000 mAh battery is sized for a working day.
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.
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.
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 Angola covers Luanda, Soyo, Zaire province, Cabinda and Malongo, Lobito, Benguela, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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.
INACOM, the Instituto Angolano das Comunicações, is the telecom regulator whose homologation applies to wireless and telecom equipment. Local agents often handle the filing and fees. Check with INACOM or an agent which documents and test reports are currently required for your product.
Portuguese is the official language, so local authorities and crews will normally expect manuals, permits and safety notices in Portuguese. International operators often work in English as well, so ask the operator or contractor which languages are required for induction and equipment documentation.
Radio equipment needs type approval from INACOM before it is used on local networks, and documentation in Portuguese is expected. The handset supports Portuguese language profiles. Local content rules also favour supply through an Angolan company. Check the current position with your operator's procurement team and with the partner who would handle importing.
Related guides for Angola and for Angola.
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.