https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/28/gotenna-mesh-keeps-people-connected-even-when-theyre-miles-apart-and-off-grid/

mildly interesting

More than mildly interesting here where there is rarely any cell reception

Lots of cool applications for this.

Range is around 1 mi.  That's better than a walkie-talkie, I guess.

On a somewhat related note: there are ways to get email,text messages and very slow internet via HAM.
http://hackingfamily.com/Jon/radio_email.htm
http://www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html

Posted here long ago, figured it'd be dead by now ...but piratebox is still kicking

https://piratebox.cc/faq

The mesh supposedly works 1 mile in the city and 3 miles in the outdoors. That might work for some situations. It seems a bit limited unless you've got other users in the same vicinity. Also, I'm a bit wary of KickStarter tech. No guarantee anyone will use it or if it will be supported in the future.

I really like the HAM idea. I'm looking for testing locations in my area so I can get my license. I've been thinking about doing this for a while now. That's a communication technology that won't be going away any time soon. However the linked material on messaging seems a bit dated.