alt Hacker NewsIt runs independently of internet and power. One use case is a group of people in a remote area (hikers, hunters) carrying their own node and being able to communicate via text over several kilometres.
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A PMR or DMR radio can also do that. And is cheaper and user friendlier.
v. a satellite enabled phone that can send text messages over thousands of kilometers?
These people should not be making a short range text solution, they should be building a low bandwidth internet extension with gateways to the real internet. Most of the information content of the internet can readily fit over 56kb lines once you strip out all the fluff. And in an emergency where you need or want a decentralized mesh network, that's more important that being able to text, who exactly?
Or you just use iPhone satellite messaging without relying on extra devices that may not even work in mountains