A Zone 1 and Zone 21 handset for Malaysian crews: process and maintenance technicians at Pengerang and Kertih, LNG operators at Bintulu, offshore production staff off Miri and Kimanis, and the safety and telecoms people who issue their equipment. Buyers searching for an intrinsically safe smartphone supplier for Malaysia can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An intrinsically safe smartphone for Malaysia 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.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. 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 | Malaysia: Miri, Sarawak, Kemaman, Terengganu, Pengerang, Johor | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Malaysia. 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 Malaysia market guide.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), based in Cyberjaya, regulates communications under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, so radio and mobile-device rules sit with a different body from Ex rules.
Electrical and electronic products, petroleum products, LNG, chemicals and palm-oil-based manufactures are among the main exports, so processing sites range from petrochemical units to palm-oil mills.
Energy supply is regulated by the Energy Commission (Suruhanjaya Tenaga) and the Department of Electricity and Gas Supply, under laws that include the 1974 Petroleum Development Act and the 1993 Gas Supply Acts.
PETRONAS describes its Pengerang Integrated Complex in Johor as one of Southeast Asia's largest integrated petrochemical facilities, valued at USD 27 billion and located within the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex.
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 Malaysia. Technicians at Kertih, Pengerang and Bintulu make long outdoor rounds and turnaround inspections, and offshore crews spend a hitch on platforms reached by helicopter or boat. An intrinsically safe handheld lets one device carry the camera, GNSS and work-order app into classified ground, and nothing can be replaced mid-hitch if it is not practical to carry spares.
Nothing can be bought for Malaysia 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.
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 Malaysia covers Pengerang, Johor, Kertih, Terengganu, Gebeng, Pahang, Bintulu, Sarawak, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Malaysia is hot and humid, so check the stated operating temperature range, ingress protection rating and battery behaviour at the top of that range. Offshore and coastal sites also add salt-laden air, which makes sealed connectors and charging contacts worth checking.
Petronas and its operating companies typically apply their own site procedures on top of national law, including permit-to-work and device registration. Requirements vary by facility and contractor, so ask the site HSE office for its current device and induction rules.
Radio equipment is regulated separately from explosion protection. The programme lists MCMC certification through SIRIM QAS for the communications side, alongside IECEx for the hazardous area side, and both are in progress. Check with your supplier and the site operator which evidence your site requires before enrolling any device.
More on Malaysia, and on other places in Malaysia.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.
