Dispersed fields
Rumaila lies roughly 50 km south-west of Basra and other fields are further out, so crews travel long distances between sites.
Basra is Iraq's southern oil hub and the base of the Basra Oil Company. Super-giant onshore fields such as Rumaila and Majnoon lie in the governorate, and most crude is exported through the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, so Zone 1 work is routine across the area. A rugged mobile phone distributor in Basra would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Basra has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress protection | IP65 to IP68 sealing | IP68 design |
| Drop and shock | A stated drop height onto concrete | Specification on request |
| Explosion protection | A separate certificate and marking | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Basra: Gas processing plants, Crude storage and export terminals, Degassing and gathering stations | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Basra. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Rumaila lies roughly 50 km south-west of Basra and other fields are further out, so crews travel long distances between sites.
Summer temperatures regularly exceed 50 C with humidity that can pass 90 per cent, which affects device thermal limits and battery life.
Rumaila, operated through the Rumaila Operating Organisation under a contract running to 2034, produced about 1.42 million barrels a day in 2022, roughly 30 percent of Iraq's total.
Reconstruction projects funded by foreign investment include the Grand Faw Port, which has drawn global attention to the region's role as a transport hub.
A Basrah to Haditha oil pipeline project worth about 4.56 billion dollars was approved by the Iraqi Cabinet in December 2024.
The city is consistently one of the hottest on the planet, with summer temperatures regularly above 50 degrees Celsius, so heat management is a safety factor for outdoor work.
A rugged phone is built to survive water, dust, drops and rough handling, usually rated by an IP code and a drop specification. Ruggedness is an environmental property: it says nothing about whether a phone may be used where flammable gas or dust is present. That is decided by explosion-protection certification and marking.
The IS-04Z1 combines both: an IP68 sealed rugged build and a design for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4). The explosion-protection certificates are in progress and none has been issued.
In Basra. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 50 C and humidity can pass 90 per cent, which stresses battery life and thermal limits. IP68 is designed to keep out dust and immersion water, which helps in dusty, humid field work, but it is not a substitute for explosion protection. Treat temperature class and permitted ambient range as separate questions.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Basra. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
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.
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.
It is designed to IP68 sealing, with glove-friendly controls. Ruggedness is not explosion protection: that depends on the certificates, which are in progress.
Likely candidates are degassing and gathering stations, wellheads and flowlines, gas processing plants, crude storage and export terminals. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Basra.
Basra Oil Company is the state operator, and fields such as Rumaila and Majnoon are run through operating organisations or ventures with partners such as BP, CNPC and Petronas. Site access rules come from each operator.
It is the base for Basra Oil Company and the very large fields of the south, plus storage and export terminals. These create wellsite, gathering, tank and jetty hazardous areas across a wide region.
Entry is normally controlled through operator-issued permits, and each operator runs its own technical review and approved-vendor process. The operator also classifies the area. A supplier cannot self-approve a device, so submit the datasheet and certification status early to the relevant operator or contractor.
Related guides for Basra and for Iraq.
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.