I've written a post discussing an alternative, it's about the subreddit should you want additional information. In a nutshell, make an alternative where ships can travel freely, without danger around the cluster but penalize this risk free alternative with EVE Mobile ISK longer travel times. So, you won't have to stare in your telephone for 40 minutes but it might require 80 or 160 minutes to perform the same trip instead.
I'd really be fine with that tbh. Longer secure when I'm at work or spotty relationship, briefer risky when I'm at home on bluestacks and able to have it up on a side monitor and pay more attention. Would not be a bad compromise.
Or you could just actually allow it to be a cellular game. It's not assumed to be a full EO experience. Why is secure AFK traveling not a suitable thing in a mobile game? Like seriously. Make it so you can be assaulted when you reconnect and it is fine.And increasing time that much is restrictive in many other regards, the traveling takes a while as it's. This is a mobile game, maybe not EO. It has to be viewed through that lens.
You can only really die if you misplay. In your case, you ought to check at neighborhood and if you see folks pop in, track enemy ships near (custom frame recommended) and should they float in, you twist out.The problem lies in (I guess ) there being a greater ratio of casuals to hardcore. Push them away and who'll pay the bills? ISK has to come from somewhere and alphas are not injecting ISK into the economy.It's a Cheap EVE Echoes ISK game, you are going to have more casual players.