FireChat is an app available for both Android and iOS that performs somewhat similar, but is not intended for use in remote areas. Using FireChat without cell or WiFi service, your cell phone can connect through other FireChat users that are within appx 200 feet. With more users, the "network" extends further and further, so could create a network hundreds of miles in size.
Works very well in places where cell service has been blocked, or regular cell sites and WiFi networks have been taken off-line. One-to-one private messages are encrypted end to end.