Angola: industry on the ground
Angola LNG at Soyo in Zaire Province is the country's first LNG export plant, a single train rated at about 5.2 million tonnes a year and built to use offshore associated gas.
A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on Angola's deepwater FPSOs, the Cabinda and Soyo onshore facilities, Angola LNG and the Luanda refinery. This page sets out how a rugged smartphone supply route to Angola 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. A rugged smartphone for Angola 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.
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 | Angola: Lower Congo basin, offshore, Kwanza basin, offshore, Luanda | 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 operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS Angola market guide covers.
Angola LNG at Soyo in Zaire Province is the country's first LNG export plant, a single train rated at about 5.2 million tonnes a year and built to use offshore associated gas.
The Soyo plant uses ConocoPhillips' Optimized Cascade liquefaction process and also produces propane, butane and condensate, which means pressurised hydrocarbon storage and loading areas.
Sonangol was created as a state company in 1976 after the nationalisation of ANGOL, and later grew subsidiaries in seismic, engineering, shipping and telecommunications services.
Sonangol's logistics arm SONILS runs an onshore petroleum supply base of about two million square metres in Luanda Bay with a 2 km quay, inaugurated in 1995 and later extended in 1998, 2004, 2008 and 2012.
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 Angola. Angola combines year-round warmth and humidity with salt air offshore, and kit is carried across helidecks and knocked against steel. IP68 sealing is designed to keep water and particulate out, with a rugged build for the knocks. IP68 covers immersion rather than splash, but it is not explosion protection, which only the Ex certificate provides.
Supply of the IS-04Z1 to Angola starts only after certification, through authorised distributors. Until then a buyer can request the datasheet and the written certification schedule, and arrange a safe-area evaluation unit, which puts the site on the list for the right local channel 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.
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 Angola covers Luanda, Soyo, Zaire province, Cabinda and Malongo, Lobito, Benguela, 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.
INACOM, the Instituto Angolano das Comunicações, is the telecom regulator whose homologation applies to wireless and telecom equipment. Local agents often handle the filing and fees. Check with INACOM or an agent which documents and test reports are currently required for your product.
Portuguese is the official language, so local authorities and crews will normally expect manuals, permits and safety notices in Portuguese. International operators often work in English as well, so ask the operator or contractor which languages are required for induction and equipment documentation.
Radio equipment needs type approval from INACOM before it is used on local networks, and documentation in Portuguese is expected. The handset supports Portuguese language profiles. Local content rules also favour supply through an Angolan company. Check the current position with your operator's procurement team and with the partner who would handle importing.
Related guides for Angola and for Angola.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.