> In the event of an emergency, fumbling with my phone to find service sounds like a nightmare.

It doesn't have to be perfect, compared to the current alternative of 1) Having nothing to fumble around or 2) Be one of the few people with a full on expensive satellite phone I think it's a valuable addition.

Similar to how Chase Jarvis said "the best camera is the one you always have with you", this is also the case for emergency equipment.