Norway: industry on the ground
Norway was the eighth largest crude oil exporter and the third largest natural gas exporter in 2011, with gas exports of 99 billion cubic metres, so gas processing and export terminals are major classified-area sites.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, from a wet deck in the northern North Sea to a winter round on the Barents coast. If you are specifying a rugged mobile phone for Norway, 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 Norway: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. 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 | Norway: Stavanger and Sola, Bergen and Flesland, Kårstø | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Norway. 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 Norway market guide.
Norway was the eighth largest crude oil exporter and the third largest natural gas exporter in 2011, with gas exports of 99 billion cubic metres, so gas processing and export terminals are major classified-area sites.
Equinor, formed by the 2007 merger of Statoil with Norsk Hydro's oil and gas division, is headquartered in Stavanger, with the Norwegian state as its largest shareholder at 67% as of 2017.
The Kårstø complex in Rogaland processes gas and condensate from North Sea fields such as Åsgard and Sleipner, and is Europe's largest export port for natural gas liquids, with propane stored in mountain halls.
In 2024 the petroleum sector accounted for about 60% of export revenue and about 17% of GDP, so offshore installations and onshore terminals dominate the hazardous-area market.
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 Norway. Norway asks the opposite of the heat and dust question, and it does so on a rotation: winter, wet and salt. IP68 sealing and a rugged build suit an exposed deck or outdoor round in January. The ambient range the certificate fixes will be published with the datasheet, and IP68 is not explosion protection.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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.
The market guide for Norway covers Stavanger and Sola, Bergen and Flesland, Kårstø, Kollsnes, 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.
Norway applies ATEX through the European Economic Area agreement, and operators commonly accept IECEx as well. Offshore, each installation adds its own rules for equipment approval and for use of wireless devices. Ask the operator for the approved equipment procedure before shipping devices.
Ask which equipment marking is required, whether wireless devices need a radio permit onboard, how devices are registered and tagged, and whether English documents are accepted. Offshore installations often require pre-approval before devices are shipped by helicopter or supply vessel.
IP68 sealing and a rugged build are designed for wet and cold work, but the ambient range is fixed by the certificate, which is not yet issued and will be published with the datasheet. Compare that range with your coldest site conditions and confirm with the operator before use.
Related guides for Norway and for Norway.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.