I think the issue here is that connecting to satellite would require much greater signal strength, a different antenna design and a chipset for each satellite network you could contact (provided they each use a different coding and multiplexing scheme). You’d also probably need a handoff protocol of some kind, which could get really dicey. Basically, you’d be running into the same problems which prevent multi-network cellphones now, only far more aggressively plus have a range issue on top.
A simpler improvement would be to allow the cellphone to act as a powerful beacon. Basically, when the cellphone is put into emergency mode, it will transmit a strong signal every so often but will otherwise conserve power. This would solve the basic distress function very well.
I think the issue here is that connecting to satellite would require much greater signal strength, a different antenna design and a chipset for each satellite network you could contact (provided they each use a different coding and multiplexing scheme). You’d also probably need a handoff protocol of some kind, which could get really dicey. Basically, you’d be running into the same problems which prevent multi-network cellphones now, only far more aggressively plus have a range issue on top.
A simpler improvement would be to allow the cellphone to act as a powerful beacon. Basically, when the cellphone is put into emergency mode, it will transmit a strong signal every so often but will otherwise conserve power. This would solve the basic distress function very well.