Sonangol is Angola's state-owned oil and gas company, headquartered in Luanda. Angola LNG made its first shipment in June 2013, and in 2022 a New Gas Consortium took a final investment decision on the Quiluma and Maboqueiro gas fields to keep gas flowing to the plant. This page sets out how an intrinsically safe smartphone supply route to Sonangol will work for the IS-04Z1, and what is and is not available before launch.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An intrinsically safe smartphone for Sonangol cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. 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.
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
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.
Nothing can be bought for Sonangol today: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, and SAMS will supply end users through authorised distributors once certificates exist. What a buyer can do now is take the specification, ask for the written certification schedule and arrange a safe-area evaluation, so that the right local channel contacts you at launch.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
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.
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.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
The group is described as a parastatal that formerly oversaw petroleum and gas in Angola, and its structure has been reorganised over time. Supplier registration contacts can therefore change, so confirm the current entity and procurement process directly with Sonangol before submitting documents.
Angola's coast is hot and humid, with salt air offshore and at Luanda and Cabinda. For handheld devices look for strong ingress protection, corrosion resistance and a suitable temperature range, and ask the platform or terminal about its own environmental limits.
The protection concept is similar, but the area classification documents differ for each facility, so compare the marking with each one. Platforms also add salt, humidity and limited connectivity. The IS-04Z1 is still in certification, so confirm current requirements with Sonangol's supplier and HSE teams.
More on Sonangol, and on other places in 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.
