Provincial regulation
Mine safety is regulated province by province; in Ontario, for example, Regulation 854 (Mines and Mining Plants) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act includes a part on electrical equipment.
A regional grouping rather than one site: Canada is a major producer of nickel, copper, potash and uranium, and the Sudbury Basin in Ontario is one of the world's largest nickel and copper ore suppliers. Underground workings, processing plants and fuel and explosives stores are the typical classified or controlled areas. An IECEx mobile phone distributor in Canadian mining regions would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Canadian mining regions has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of conformity | Number checkable on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Standards edition | The IEC 60079 edition the certificate cites | Stated on the certificate when issued |
| Schedule of conditions | Limits of use, batteries and accessories | Published with the certificate |
| Where it applies | Canadian mining regions: Fuel storage, Explosives storage, Underground mine workings | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Canada Mining Operations. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Mine safety is regulated province by province; in Ontario, for example, Regulation 854 (Mines and Mining Plants) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act includes a part on electrical equipment.
Equipment taken underground generally has to suit the mine's hazard classification and may need approval by the mine's own electrical or safety department.
Industrial-scale mining began in the 18th century, with an iron mine at Forges du Saint-Maurice (1738 to 1883) and copper at Bruce Mines, Ontario from 1848, so many sites are old and complex.
Canada was the world's largest potash producer in 2019 and a top-ten producer of gold, nickel, platinum, iron ore, titanium, niobium, sulphur, molybdenum and cobalt.
Federal coal mining regulations (SOR/90-97) require a qualified person to measure air quantity, flammable gas and carbon monoxide on any roadway where a diesel engine runs, at least once every seven days.
Where flammable gas exceeds 0.8 percent near electrical equipment or diesel engines the area must be tested at least every eight hours, and a methanometer alarm is required at longwall faces where gas may reach 1.25 percent.
IECEx is the international scheme for certifying equipment used in explosive atmospheres. A certificate of conformity is issued by an accredited certification body against a specific edition of the IEC 60079 standards and carries a schedule of conditions of safe use. It is not a legal requirement in most countries on its own, but many national schemes accept it as the technical basis.
The IECEx certificate for the IS-04Z1 is in progress and has not been issued. The marking target is Ex ib IIC T4, the intrinsic safety concept for Zone 1 gas with the hardest gas group (IIC) and a 135 °C temperature class.
In Canadian mining regions. Mining in Canada is regulated province by province, and visiting contractors, vendors and international mining groups may bring IECEx documentation with them. A certificate of conformity and schedule of conditions would be the reference documents. The IS-04Z1 is being prepared for the IECEx route, with certification in progress and nothing yet issued.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Canadian mining regions yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are underground mine workings, ore processing plants, fuel storage, explosives storage. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Canadian mining regions.
Only if certified for the relevant area and permitted by the mine's rules; the federal regulations focus on gas detection, electrical equipment and ventilation, and each mine adds its own policy. Confirm with the mine manager and ask for the approved device list.
Cold winters, remote locations and long supply routes are typical, so batteries, spares and servicing need planning. Ask the mine about winter handling guidance and the temperature class they require for classified areas.
Not automatically. The IS-04Z1 target marking, II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, is a gas-atmosphere marking. Underground equipment generally has to suit the mine's hazard classification and may need approval by the mine's own electrical or safety department. Ask the individual operator what it accepts before assuming suitability.
More on Canada Mining Operations, and on other places in Canada.
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.