Austria: rules and approvals
Directive 2014/34/EU became mandatory for manufacturers on 20 April 2016, and Directive 1999/92/EC requires employers to divide workplaces into zones by the likelihood and persistence of an explosive atmosphere.
The IS-04Z1 is an ex proof phone designed to ATEX 2014/34/EU for gas and dust atmospheres, built for refinery turnarounds, gas stations on the transit grid, steel works and fibre plants. This page sets out how a rugged smartphone supply route to Austria 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 Austria 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Austria: The Vienna basin, Lenzing, Schwechat | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Austria. 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 Austria market guide.
Directive 2014/34/EU became mandatory for manufacturers on 20 April 2016, and Directive 1999/92/EC requires employers to divide workplaces into zones by the likelihood and persistence of an explosive atmosphere.
More than 3,000 hydro plants provided 54% of installed generating capacity in 2021, and Verbund generates about 90% of its power from hydro, so dam and turbine-hall work dominates the electricity side.
OMV opened the Schwechat refinery near Vienna in 1960, and since 1970 the Adria-Vienna Pipeline has delivered crude from the marine terminal at Trieste, Italy, to Schwechat.
Borealis, headquartered in Vienna, is Europe's second-largest polyolefins producer and a major petrochemicals company, with plants in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Finland and Sweden.
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 Austria. Austria asks a handset to cope with an unheated compressor yard in February and a rolling mill in August. IP68 sealing and a rugged build are designed for that spread, with the certified ambient range published on the datasheet once known. IP68 is a dust and water rating, not explosion protection, which depends on the ATEX certificate.
Nothing can be bought for Austria 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.
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 Austria covers Schwechat, Baumgarten an der March, Linz, Donawitz and Leoben, 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.
Chemical production, metalworking, paint and coating, food processing with dust, sewage treatment and energy supply all feature in Austria's industrial mix. Each employer must assess and zone its own workplace, so ask for the explosion protection document before bringing in new devices.
German is the working language, and ATEX instructions are typically expected in the language of the destination country. A German-language manual and certificate pack typically makes site acceptance easier. Ask the operator whether English documentation is also acceptable on its premises.
Austrian acceptance treats German documentation as a condition, so the manual, safe-use instructions and declaration of conformity are planned in German alongside English, with a German interface on Android 16. The certification programme is in progress and nothing has been issued. Check the exact requirement with your safety officer.
Related guides for Austria and for Austria.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.