Climate
Humid continental climate with cold winters (January averages about -1 degrees C), so outdoor rounds in winter call for cold-tolerant batteries and gloved operation.
Borlänge is the largest urban centre in Dalarna, central Sweden, and is built around the SSAB Domnarvet strip-steel works and the Stora Enso Kvarnsveden paper mill. Steel and paper processing involve fuel gas, chemicals and fine dust, so Zone 1 and Zone 21 classification can apply in plant areas. A rugged smartphone distributor in Borlänge would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Borlänge 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Borlänge: Fuel and process gas systems, Chemical and oil storage, Dust-generating process areas (Zone 21) | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Borlänge. 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.
Humid continental climate with cold winters (January averages about -1 degrees C), so outdoor rounds in winter call for cold-tolerant batteries and gloved operation.
SSAB's Borlänge site employs around 1,800 people and is being developed as a processing and distribution hub as SSAB moves to new production processes.
The town lies on the Dalälven river downstream of the confluence of the Österdalälven and Västerdalälven, and it is the largest urban centre in the province of Dalarna, with about 44,900 residents in 2020.
SSAB describes its Borlänge works, established in 1878, as its largest strip rolling system, making hot-rolled and cold-rolled high-strength steel for automotive, heavy-duty transport, lifting and container uses, with around 1,700 employees.
The four blast furnaces and two Kaldo converters at Domnarvet were shut down in 1981, and the site since then has developed around its hot strip rolling mill.
SSAB's industrial area lies in downtown Borlänge, the Dal river flows through the site, and the works contain around 30 km of railroad track.
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 Borlänge. Cold winters, with January averages around -1 degrees C, put strain on batteries during outdoor rounds. IP68 dust and water ingress protection is useful in steel and paper plant, where fine dust and washdown are common. It is not explosion protection, which is a separate matter covered by the Ex marking and certificate.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Borlänge. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
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.
It is designed to IP68 sealing, with glove-friendly controls. Ruggedness is not explosion protection: that depends on the certificates, which are in progress.
Likely candidates are fuel and process gas systems, chemical and oil storage, dust-generating process areas (zone 21). 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 Borlänge.
Dala Airport is 8 km south-east with limited services, and Stockholm Arlanda is 214 km away, so many visitors arrive by train or road. Plan equipment delivery by road freight and confirm gate procedures with the site.
Steel works typically involve process gases, fuel gas and oxygen systems, hydraulic oil, coating lines, and dust from coal, ore or scale. The operator defines gas and dust zones, so ask SSAB for its classification drawings and portable-device rules before bringing equipment.
Winters in Borlänge are cold, with January averaging around -1 degrees C, so cold-tolerant batteries and gloved operation matter for outdoor rounds. The IS-04Z1 has a 4,000 mAh battery, but cold performance has not been published for it. Ask for the datasheet before specifying winter use.
More on Borlänge, and on other places in Sweden.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.