Chile: industry on the ground
In 2025 Chile was the world's largest producer of copper, iodine and rhenium, and the third-largest producer of lithium and molybdenum.
Chile · IECEx
IECEx Mobile Phone in Chile
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe handset for people who cross into classified areas in Chile every shift: copper and lithium plant operators in the Atacama, refinery crews at Concón, and the HSE and telecoms teams who equip them. If you are specifying an IECEx mobile phone for Chile, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicIECEx
DeviceMobile Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereChile
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Chile: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · IECEx
Checklist: IECEx mobile phone for Chile
| 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 | Chile: Chuquicamata / Calama, Escondida, Salar de Atacama | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Chile
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Chile. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The market · Chile
Where an Ex phone is used in Chile
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Chile market guide.
Operators, EPCs and contractors
- Codelco
- State copper miner — Chuquicamata, El Teniente and other major divisions
- BHP / Minera Escondida
- Operator of Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine
- SQM
- Sociedad Química y Minera — lithium and potassium extraction on the Atacama salt flats
- Antofagasta Minerals
- Major private copper mining group
- Collahuasi
- Anglo American and Glencore joint-venture copper mine
- ENAP
- Empresa Nacional del Petróleo — state refining at Concón and Biobío, and Magallanes gas production
Industrial areas and sites
- Chuquicamata / Calama
- Codelco’s giant open-pit copper mine and smelting operations
- Escondida
- Concentrator and processing complex in the Atacama highlands
- Salar de Atacama
- Lithium and potassium brine extraction ponds
- Collahuasi
- High-altitude copper mine near the Bolivian border
- Concón
- ENAP refinery on the central coast near Viña del Mar
- Magallanes
- Southern gas production region near Punta Arenas
Field notes · Chile
More about Chile that matters for portable equipment
Chile: rules and approvals
Mining is governed by separate bodies including the Chilean Copper Commission, ENAMI, SERNAGEOMIN and the Ministry of Mining, so a mine's safety rules come from the mining regulator as well as electrical law.
Chile: rules and approvals
SUBTEL approves radio and telecom devices in Chile, including mobile phones, and approval is needed before importation and sale of any product using radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or telecom networks.
Chile: geography and layout
Mining is concentrated in 14 districts in the northern half of the country, especially the Norte Grande region spanning most of the Atacama Desert, so many sites are arid and remote.
The term · IECEx
What “IECEx” means for a smartphone
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 Chile. IECEx is the technical basis Chilean operators use, which suits the mix of Codelco, BHP, SQM, Albemarle, Antofagasta Minerals and Collahuasi, all with international contractors. The reviewer reads the certificate of conformity and the schedule of conditions. SEC conformity and Subtel radio approval are separate steps, and none of the three is finished.
The route · specification
Specifying an IECEx mobile phone for Chile
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · Chile
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy an IECEx mobile phone in Chile today?
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.
What does an IECEx mobile phone in Chile cost?
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.
Does the IS-04Z1 hold an IECEx certificate?
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Which sites in Chile does this cover?
The market guide for Chile covers Chuquicamata / Calama, Escondida, Salar de Atacama, Collahuasi, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
How should devices cope with Atacama Desert conditions?
Northern mining districts are arid, with strong sun, large day-night temperature swings and fine dust, and many sites are at altitude. Check the operating temperature range, dust ingress rating and battery performance, and confirm any altitude or site-specific limits with the operator.
Do Chilean mines have their own safety regulator?
Yes. SERNAGEOMIN is the national geology and mining service, and it works alongside the Ministry of Mining and other bodies. Mining sites therefore follow mining safety rules in addition to electrical requirements, so ask the mine's compliance team which rules apply to portable devices underground and on the surface.
Is SEC clearance enough to use the phone at Codelco or Escondida?
No: Codelco and the major private miners each run vendor-registration and engineering-approval processes, so a device can be SEC-cleared yet unlisted on an operator's equipment register. SEC and Subtel approvals are being pursued and are not finished. Confirm the registration route with the operator before purchase.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on Chile, and on other places in Chile.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone in ChileSame place, different guide
Industrial Mobile Phone Distributor in ChileSame place, different guide
Rugged Mobile Phone Distributor in ChileSame place, different guide
Hazardous Area Mobile Phone Supplier in ChileSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone in ChileSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Supplier in ChileSame place, different guide
Chile market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for ChileEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Chile
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Chile
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Enquiry · Chile
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Chile?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.