is it possible to send and receive texts when I am in a remote moorland area with no signal?

[AC Question]

I have been told that if I am in distress when out walking in remote places, as a last resort I can contact the emergency services via a text even when there is no signal for phone calls.
Is this true?

 

[anon(632115)]

No. If you have no signal, you have no signal. An emergency doesn't change that but there's more of a chance of sending a text than making a call in weak signal areas

 

[Rukbat]

The "explanation" is called "hope". If there's no signal, there's no signal. Voice will actually get through better than data (with a GSM phone and an ear that's been listening to two-way radio signals for years, you can almost understand a signal that's weaker than the noise) if there's some signal, and text will get through better than voice. But with "Emergency calls only", you have no signal, so no signal will get through. (But it's nice to hope, unless it keeps you from doing something actually useful. [I say this with 60 years of two way radio experience behind me.])