Weather and wash-down
IP68 sealing and rugged build are the first lines a UK reviewer looks for, because a device here lives with rain, salt spray and hosing down rather than fine dust.
United Kingdom · Zone 1 / Zone 21
Explosion proof mobile phone for the UK, ATEX and UKEX Zone 1
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 work, from a North Sea deck to a gas governor kiosk at the end of a street. It is pre-launch: certification is running now, and UK teams can evaluate a unit while it does.
Launching Q4 2026 · ATEX and UKEX certification programme in progress
Local approvalUKEX · ATEXATEX · UKEX in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
United Kingdom
UKEX · ATEX
IECEx
ATEX 2014/34/EU
NEC 500 Class I Div 1IP68Zone 1 / Zone 21
Android 16
Qualcomm Snapdragon
UKEX · ATEXIECExATEX 2014/34/EUNEC 500 Class I Div 1IP68Zone 1 / Zone 21Android 16Qualcomm SnapdragonWhere it works · United Kingdom
Where it works in the UK
UK classified areas fall into two patterns. Offshore and downstream, the work sits on a few large installations with formal permit systems. Inland, Zone 1 and Zone 2 work is spread thinly across gas networks, water and waste sites staffed by one or two people at a time.
Operators and contractors such as Harbour Energy, Adura and Ithaca Energy need an explosion proof mobile phone they can carry into classified areas at Aberdeen, St Fergus and Sullom Voe. The IS-04Z1 is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 duty there.
Operators, EPCs and contractors
- Harbour Energy
- One of the largest producers on the UK continental shelf.
- Adura
- Shell and Equinor joint venture with interests in Mariner, Clair, Shearwater and Buzzard (operators vary by field).
- Ithaca Energy
- Operator and partner across central and northern North Sea hubs.
- EnQuest
- Operates Magnus and the Sullom Voe terminal.
- Serica Energy
- Operates the Bruce, Keith and Rhum fields.
- Wood
- Aberdeen engineering, maintenance and shutdown contractor.
- Petrofac
- Offshore operations, maintenance and duty-holder services.
- Cadent
- Largest gas distribution network, north west England to London.
- SGN
- Gas distribution across Scotland and southern England.
Industrial areas and sites
- Aberdeen
- Supply base, heliports and the offshore contractor market.
- St Fergus
- Reception terminal for northern North Sea gas pipelines.
- Sullom Voe
- Shetland oil and gas terminal with export jetties.
- Grangemouth
- INEOS petrochemical complex and the fuels import terminal.
- Fawley
- ExxonMobil refinery and petrochemicals on Southampton Water.
- Stanlow
- Refinery and the Mersey chemical corridor.
- Humber
- Phillips 66 refinery, Immingham terminals, Saltend chemicals park.
- Teesside
- Wilton and Seal Sands process plants and jetties.
- Milford Haven
- Valero refinery, South Hook and Dragon LNG terminals.
Built for local conditions
Built for UK conditions
Nothing in the specification is decorative. Each point answers something a UK site does to a phone.
For evaluators in United Kingdom, the IS-04Z1 explosion proof mobile phone is designed around these points: Weather and wash-down; Twelve-hour shifts; Evidence you can file; Patchy coverage; Fleet control; Zone 1 and Zone 21 together.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Twelve-hour shifts
The 4,000 mAh battery is sized for a full offshore or terminal shift with camera and GNSS in use, so charging happens at handover, not halfway through.
Evidence you can file
A 50 MP camera with PDAF gives photographs sharp enough to stand as inspection or permit evidence, which is what removes the second trip into the zone.
Patchy coverage
4G LTE, Wi-Fi and four-constellation GNSS hold a position and a connection across a platform, a terminal boundary or a rural gas site where one network is not enough.
Fleet control
Android 16 with EMM and MDM support lets IT teams enrol, restrict and update the handset alongside the rest of the estate instead of running an exception.
Zone 1 and Zone 21 together
The target gas marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, with dust protection for Zone 21 in the same certification programme, so one handset covers both sides of a site.
Approvals in United Kingdom
Certification programme ahead of Q4 2026 launch.
Great Britain accepts both routes. An ATEX certificate from an EU notified body and a UKEX certificate from a UK Approved Body are each a valid basis for placing hazardous-area equipment on the GB market.
In progress
UKEX
National conformity for United KingdomATEX · UKEX in progressIn progress
IECEx
International Electrotechnical CommissionZone 1 · Zone 21 · Gas · DustIn progress
ATEX
EU Directive 2014/34/EUII 2 G Ex ib IIC T4In progress
NEC 500
National Electrical CodeClass I Div 1 · North AmericaRegulatory route · United Kingdom
What your HSE and procurement teams will ask for.
Two routes are open in Great Britain and your file can rest on either. UKEX certification is issued by a UK Approved Body and supports the UKCA mark, while recognition of CE marking for equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres was extended indefinitely by the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2024, so an ATEX certificate from an EU notified body remains valid for GB supply. Northern Ireland still follows the EU ATEX regime directly.
The duty that shapes what you actually buy sits on the operator, not the manufacturer. DSEAR requires a documented hazardous area classification and a justification for every item of equipment selected for a classified area, and offshore that evidence goes into the safety case the HSE reviews. So a UK enquiry opens with the certificate schedule, the protection level and the marking string, and the radio side is checked against the Radio Equipment Regulations too.
Use cases · United Kingdom
Where the IS-04Z1 explosion proof mobile phone goes to work.
Typical Zone 1 and Zone 21 duty for the IS-04Z1 explosion proof mobile phone in United Kingdom includes: Permit and isolation checks on the deck; Turnaround coordination downstream; Lone working on the distribution network; Jetty and tank farm operations.
Offshore01
Permit and isolation checks on the deck
On a North Sea platform the walk between the job and the control room is the tax on every permit query. A Zone 1 handset lets the technician photograph an isolation, confirm it with the control room and close the permit where the work is.
Refining02
Turnaround coordination downstream
Britain is down to four operating refineries, and a turnaround at Fawley, Stanlow, Humber or Pembroke squeezes a year of maintenance into a fixed window. One device carrying the job pack, the photographs and the contractor call cuts walking the schedule cannot absorb.
Gas networks03
Lone working on the distribution network
Gas technicians spend the day alone at governor stations and street excavations, in classified areas nobody supervises directly. A hazardous-area smartphone carries the lone-worker check-in, the position fix and the job record on the handset already used to call the depot.
Terminals and LNG04
Jetty and tank farm operations
Isle of Grain, Milford Haven and the fuels import terminal at Grangemouth run jetty and tank farm work where hazardous zones meet a vessel schedule that does not wait. Crews need a handset that takes the weather on the berth and still connects.
How to buy · United Kingdom
How to evaluate and buy
The IS-04Z1 has not launched. What exists today is the technical evidence and a unit you can test, which is the order UK safety and procurement teams want them in.
- 01
Send the enquiry
Tell us the zones, the gas group and roughly how many users. UK enquiries go to SAMS Mobile directly at info@sams-mobile.com, since the company is registered here.
- 02
Read the datasheet and certificate schedule
You get the specification and the status of each certification, with the target marking string, so the equipment selection entry in your DSEAR file can be drafted early.
- 03
Book an evaluation unit
Pre-production units go to named UK operators and contractors under a trial agreement. Trials typically cover MDM enrolment on your own network, battery behaviour across a shift and your wash-down routine.
- 04
Agree supply
On completion of certification, supply runs direct from the UK or through a distributor already on your approved supplier list. Pre-launch pricing is available on request.
Questions · United Kingdom
Frequently asked questions
Asking about a site in United Kingdom?
Send your site, zone and gas group, and we will answer for your plant rather than in general.
Ask about United Kingdom →Is the IS-04Z1 certified for hazardous areas in the UK yet?
No. It is designed to ATEX 2014/34/EU for Zone 1 and Zone 21 and the certification programme is in progress, with UKEX to follow. Launch is planned for Q4 2026, and no unit is supplied for classified-area use before its certificate is issued.
Do we need UKCA, or is a CE marked ATEX device still acceptable in Great Britain?
Both are acceptable. Recognition of CE marking for equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres was extended indefinitely in 2024, so an ATEX certificate and a UKEX certificate are each a valid basis for GB supply. Northern Ireland follows the EU regime.
Can it be used offshore in the North Sea?
That is one of the design cases. Zone 1 classification, IP68 sealing and rugged build are aimed at exposed decks and terminal jetties, and the certificate evidence is written to go into an offshore safety case. Offshore trials are part of the pilot programme.
What does the T4 temperature class mean for our site?
T4 limits the maximum surface temperature of the equipment to 135 °C, which covers most substances handled at UK sites. The ambient range on the certificate and the device operating range are both stated on the datasheet.
How will repair and battery replacement work here?
A UK repair and battery replacement route is part of the launch programme, because an intrinsically safe device must be repaired through a controlled route to keep its Ex certification valid. Terms are published at launch and can be reviewed earlier under a pre-launch agreement.
Can we get a price now?
Not a published one before launch. Pre-launch pricing is quoted against a stated quantity and configuration, and evaluation units are issued under a trial agreement rather than sold. Register interest and the datasheet comes first.
Enquiry · United Kingdom
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for United Kingdom
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 United Kingdom. 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 · United Kingdom
Distribution · United Kingdom
Distribution partners in the United Kingdom
The UK is our home market and SAMS Mobile supplies here directly, but we are still interested in distributors and safety specialists holding framework agreements with North Sea operators, utilities and industrial end users.
- Regional office
- United Kingdom (HQ)
- Languages
- English
- info@sams-mobile.com
- Registered
- United Kingdom
Industries and operators · United Kingdom
Industries and operators we cover.
Go deeper with the IS-04Z1: explosion proof phone for Oil and Gas; explosion proof phone for Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals; explosion proof phone for Utilities and Waste; explosion proof phone for Adura; explosion proof phone for Cadent; explosion proof phone for EnQuest; explosion proof phone for Harbour Energy.
Find your route
Ex phone guides for United Kingdom
Buyers look for the IS-04Z1 in United Kingdom in different ways. Each guide below answers one buyer search honestly: what the term means, the route to buy, and where certification stands today.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone in United KingdomGuide
IECEx Smartphone Distributor in United KingdomGuide
Explosion-Proof Cell Phone Supplier in United KingdomGuide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone in United KingdomGuide
Hazardous Area Smartphone Distributor in United KingdomGuide
Industrial Cell Phone Supplier in United KingdomGuide
Ex-Proof Mobile Phone in United KingdomGuide
Rugged Smartphone Distributor in United KingdomGuide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in CardiffGuide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in EdinburghGuide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in EnglandGuide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in LiverpoolGuide
See all 369 guides for United KingdomEvery route we cover