LKAB mines iron ore at Kiruna and Malmberget in Norrbotten and turns much of it into pellets, and it is developing hydrogen-based sponge iron production at Gällivare. This page is for the maintenance, process and HSE teams deciding what an explosion proof mobile phone has to do on those sites. The IS-04Z1 is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 and is still pre-launch, with ATEX certification in progress. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · certification programme in progress
Most of an iron ore operation is not a classified area. Magnetite ore and the crushed rock around it are not a gas risk, and the underground mine at Kiruna and the Malmberget operations at Gällivare are first of all a mining-safety problem. The classified zones are specific: fuel and explosives stores, fuel gas and oil systems in the pellet plants, battery and charging rooms, and the new hydrogen installations. LKAB's pellet plants are at Kiruna, Malmberget and Svappavaara. LKAB has said it will move from pellets to hydrogen-reduced sponge iron, with a demonstration plant planned at Gällivare, and a bio-oil plant at Malmberget has already been part of replacing fossil fuel in pelletising. Hydrogen on a mine site is group IIC, the group the IS-04Z1 targets.
LKAB's sites sit north of the Arctic Circle, with long dark winters and workplaces spread over kilometres. The conditions below come from that setting, not from the process.
Winter temperatures in Norrbotten can drop well below freezing for months. The certified lower ambient limit appears on the datasheet and is the figure a northern site should check first. rugged build covers low temperature and thermal shock, and the 4,000 mAh cell is sized for a full shift.
A handset used in mining PPE is operated with thick gloves, often one-handed. Test touch response, physical keys and push-to-talk behaviour on the first day of a trial, not on paper.
Underground and in crushing plants, a handset meets rock dust, water and mud. IP68 sealing is the design answer, and the Zone 21 target applies where the dust is combustible.
A mine and its surface sites rely on the operator network rather than public cover. Managed through an existing MDM console, the handset can be restricted to approved applications and the site network.
Annual maintenance stops at the pellet plants bring contractors onto burners, fans and fuel systems. Enrolled handsets carry the permit and photographs of isolations, in the area where fuel gas may be present.
A new hydrogen plant on an existing mining site brings a classified area to people who never needed one. A single Zone 1 handset avoids sending crews to a safe area for photographs and calls.
Fuel deliveries and explosives stores run on permits. A handset with a camera that the site can switch off by policy lets supervisors document a transfer without carrying a second device.
Mine work runs in shifts around the clock, with crews underground for most of the shift and surface teams on rounds. Contractors are common on maintenance stops and on construction of the new plants. Underground, equipment is assessed under the mining rules and supervised by the mining inspectorate, so a surface ATEX certificate is a starting point rather than the whole answer.
LKAB sets its own requirements for equipment suppliers and this page does not claim any relationship with the company. Ask the LKAB procurement and HSE teams what a supplier file needs. The IS-04Z1 certificates have not been issued yet, so use the datasheet and the certification schedule to start your own review.
The design target is Zone 1 and Zone 21 at the surface. Underground use falls under the mining rules and inspectorate, and has to be assessed on that basis rather than on a surface certificate. Ask us for the certification schedule before specifying.
Not usually. The classified dust areas are those handling combustible materials, such as coal or organic fuel. The site classification drawing decides, and the IS-04Z1 is designed so that the same handset works in gas and dust areas.
Hydrogen is group IIC. A handset specified only for lower groups would have to be replaced once hydrogen is introduced. The IS-04Z1 targets IIC so that one specification covers the transition.
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 Sweden. 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.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.
