Hydrogen sets the bar at IIC
Natural gas is group IIA, but the hydrogen network brings group IIC. The IS-04Z1 marking target of II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 is aimed at IIC for that reason, with the certificate to confirm it in due course.
Netherlands · Gasunie
Explosion proof mobile phone for Gasunie in the Netherlands
Gasunie runs the Dutch gas transmission grid and is building the national hydrogen network, with a first section from Maasvlakte to Pernis in the Rotterdam port. This page is for the HSE officers, instrumentation engineers and telecoms teams who need an explosion proof mobile phone for work on gas infrastructure in the Netherlands, from compressor stations to terminals and hydrogen pipelines. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · certification programme in progress
Local approvalATEXATEX 2014/34/EU · Warenwetbesluit explosieveilig materieel 2016 · in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The assets · Gasunie
What is classified across Gasunie’s assets
A gas transmission company is different from a refinery. The hazard is natural gas, group IIA, in pipelines, compressor stations, metering and pressure-reduction stations, and the terminals and storage connected to them, spread over a whole country rather than inside one fence. The hydrogen network changes this: hydrogen is group IIC, with a wide flammable range, so equipment that was acceptable for natural gas may not be for hydrogen. Gasunie is converting existing pipelines and building new ones, and the first section, around 30 km from the Second Maasvlakte to Pernis, was announced in 2023 through its subsidiary HyNetwork Services.
Who is on the network
- Gasunie Transport Services
- Operates the national gas grid and the stations along it.
- HyNetwork Services
- Gasunie subsidiary developing and operating the national hydrogen network.
- Terminal operators
- The Gate terminal on the Maasvlakte, in which Gasunie is a partner with Vopak, and the EemsEnergyTerminal at Eemshaven.
- Contractors
- Pipeline, mechanical and instrumentation firms working to permits on stations and construction sites.
- Authorities
- Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie and the regional bodies, with different rules for network work and for terminal sites.
Classified units and areas
- Compressor stations
- Gas compression with rotating plant, where Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas surround pipework and seals.
- Metering and pressure-reduction stations
- Small, remote sites where vents and sampling create local zones.
- Hydrogen conversion and new pipeline
- Group IIC areas on converted natural gas pipelines and new hydrogen lines.
- LNG import terminals
- Regasification and ship-to-shore connections at Maasvlakte and Eemshaven.
- Salt-cavern storage
- Gas storage with wellhead and compression areas, including at Zuidwending.
- Control rooms and offices
- Safe areas, where operations run and handsets are charged.
Built for local conditions
Explosion proof mobile phone conditions on the gas grid, in the Netherlands
Gasunie’s work is spread out rather than concentrated. These are the conditions that matter for a handset when most of the sites are small, remote and unmanned.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Unmanned sites reached by road
Many stations are visited, not staffed. A technician arriving at one needs a phone that works on the way in, records what was done and sends it back, without a safe-area stop.
Position and photograph as the record
Four-constellation GNSS and a 50 MP camera attach a position and a photograph to an inspection entry, which is more useful than a description on a remote site.
A managed device in a regulated company
Android Enterprise lets the operator control applications and camera centrally, and manage the handsets alongside the rest of its estate.
Work here · the network
How the work is organised across a national network
Maintenance01
Station inspection and servicing
Technicians visit compressor and metering stations on a schedule, recording readings and defects. A single handset carries the work order, the camera and the call to the control room in the classified area.
Construction02
Hydrogen network build and conversion
A new or converted pipeline puts contractors on a construction site that becomes a classified area as it is commissioned. A managed handset with a fixed application set suits a crew that changes during the project.
Terminals03
LNG and storage sites
Terminal staff walk between ship connections, storage and process areas. The handset covers voice, photographs and position where radios alone do not.
Access · Gasunie
What Gasunie’s teams would ask a supplier for
We have not verified the details of Gasunie’s own supplier or contractor registration and do not describe them. The route is to ask Gasunie’s procurement and HSE teams what they require. Below is what a gas transmission operator would typically want, and what the IS-04Z1 programme is preparing.
Documents to prepare
- Marking and gas group
- The ATEX marking string, gas group and temperature class once issued, for hydrogen and natural gas assessments.
- Dutch documentation
- Manual, safe-use instructions and declaration of conformity in Dutch.
- Device management
- An enrolment guide for the operator’s MDM, with camera and location policy templates.
- Service route
- How an intrinsically safe handset is serviced and how spares reach a dispersed workforce.
Questions · Gasunie
Frequently asked questions
Why does hydrogen change the handset requirement?
Hydrogen is group IIC, the most demanding gas group, and it ignites with very little energy. Equipment marked only for IIA or IIB is not appropriate for it, so a target of IIC matters.
Is a phone needed on a mostly unmanned site?
Visits to stations are where the phone is used. A technician needs to log what was done and send a photograph, and doing so inside the classified area saves a trip back to the vehicle.
Does the handset need to work with Gasunie’s existing systems?
It runs Android 16 under Android Enterprise, so it can be enrolled in an existing MDM console. Integration with any specific application is a question for the operator’s IT team.
Enquiry · Gasunie
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Gasunie, Netherlands
Tell us the site, the zone and gas group, and roughly how many handsets. The SAMS team replies by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule for Netherlands. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and certification is in progress, so there is no list price yet; indicative pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Enquiry · Gasunie
Launching Q4 2026
Evaluating the IS-04Z1 for this site?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.