Ports
The city has two seaports, the Jubail Commercial Seaport and the King Fahd Industrial Seaport.
Jubail Industrial City covers just over 1,000 square kilometres on the Gulf coast of the Eastern Province and is managed by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, established in 1975. It houses SABIC plants, the SATORP and SASREF refineries and the Sadara chemical complex, so classified areas are widespread. Distribution partners for Jubail Industrial City are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Jubail Industrial City 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.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Jubail Industrial City: Refinery process units, Petrochemical and chemical plants, Storage and loading terminals | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Jubail. 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.
The city has two seaports, the Jubail Commercial Seaport and the King Fahd Industrial Seaport.
Hot desert climate with summer temperatures that can exceed 50 C.
Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission handles radio type approval, with certificates renewed every two years, and accepts European test documents.
Jubail was a small fishing village until 1975, when the government chose it for a new industrial city, so nearly all plant infrastructure dates from the last 50 years.
Jubail had 474,679 residents in 2022, making it the third most populous city in the Eastern Province, so a large local workforce and service sector supports the plants.
Two main highways, the Dhahran to Jubail Highway and the Abu Hadriyah Highway, link the city to the rest of the Eastern Province.
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 Jubail Industrial City. Hot desert climate, with summer temperatures that can exceed 50 C, and a Gulf coastal location make heat and humidity relevant. IP68 on the IS-04Z1 addresses dust and water ingress. It does not provide explosion protection, and the datasheet temperature range should be compared with expected conditions.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Jubail Industrial City yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
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 refinery process units, petrochemical and chemical plants, storage and loading terminals, port bulk handling. 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 Jubail Industrial City.
Associated gas gathered by Aramco is piped to Jubail and Yanbu as petrochemical feedstock, so plants receive hydrocarbon feed by pipeline. That typically means compressor, metering and storage areas with gas classification; the operator defines the zones, so ask for classification drawings.
The Dammam airport terminal is about 60 km by road from the Jubail suburbs and around 80 km from the city centre. Visiting teams should allow road transfer time and confirm the transport and gate arrangements with the plant they are visiting.
Summer temperatures in Jubail can exceed 50 C, which is demanding for batteries and electronics. Check the datasheet operating range, avoid leaving handsets in vehicles, and ask the operator about any heat restrictions. IP68 helps against dust and splash but says nothing about heat tolerance or ignition protection.
More on Jubail, and on other places in Saudi Arabia.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.