But really, why is cell service so bad along Durham’s 9th Street?

Mention cell service to those who spend time around 9th Street in Durham, and you’re likely to elicit a laugh.

The busy commercial corridor near Duke University’s East and Central campuses is known as a place where phone calls die and webpages languish in an uploading purgatory. The stretch spanning The Regulator Bookshop, the dive bar Dain’s Place, and the popular Elmo’s Diner is compared to a black hole.

It’s not uncommon, employees say, to see people holding their phones aloft or pressed against windows in search of a few precious signal bars.

Sara Schwartz, a bookseller at Regulator, said patrons often can’t look up author names or titles on their phones. Dain Phelan, who owns Dain’s Place, said his text messages to his wife frequently fail to reach their destination.

“Cell service has been trash since I’ve started here in 2014,” said Gabriel, the operations manager at The Computer Cellar, who declined to give his last name.

To test our phones’ mobile signals, Gabriel and I conducted a speed test on an app called Opensignal. My phone actually got an OK signal — about half the download speed it typically does. Gabriel’s speed test wouldn’t load.

Customers in the area notice the lag, too.

“When you’re sitting in Lime and Lemon, or at Elmo’s, you might as well put your phone down,” said Christopher Helgeson, who was sitting with friends at Dain’s on a recent weekday evening.

Some don’t mind having spaces without phone distractions.

“I like to think it’s a little getaway for people,” Phelan said. “You come here and check out a little.”

Duke University, which has its East and Central campuses near 9th Street, said it’s heard the complaints.

Bob Johnson is the school’s senior director for communications infrastructure. In an email to The News & Observer, Johnson wrote, “We have relayed concerns regarding coverage gaps in the surrounding community, including 9th street and remain active in working with them to improve coverage where we can.”

Blame it on the bricks (perhaps)

The reason for the poor cellular service isn’t clear.

According to the Federal Communications Commission National Broadband Map, the area is completely blanketed with either 4G or 5G service from major providers Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

In rural areas, where towers and antennas tend to be fewer and farther away, weak signal is more typical, said Mark Johnson, a broadband consultant in the Triangle. The mountains of Western North Carolina, he noted, are particular impediments.

But that doesn’t explain why cell service is a gamble on the urban and flat 9th Street.

Many of the stores on the street are made of brick, including Dain’s Place, and Phelan has heard customers speculate the building material could be blocking signals.

“(Building material) can, in fact, matter,” Mark Johnson said.

Small cells, big cities

Another issue could be a dearth of what are called small-cell sites, often affixed atop urban structures like street lights and buildings, that amplify cellular network coverage in cities.

Some officials say it’s been a challenge to install these sites in municipalities across the state.

“The permitting around (small-cell) is a topic of discussion,” said Nicole Meister, spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology. “It sounds like it may not be simple to get a permit for a small cell.”

Durham Communications Director Beverly Thompson said the city does not oversee cellular service and directed me to reach out to the providers themselves.

AT&T did not responded to questions about its service along 9th Street.

T-Mobile provided a general update on its Bull City presence, adding it is “currently building a new site in (the 9th Street area) that will significantly enhance coverage and bring better service.”

Verizon, the largest U.S. cell carrier, gave the most specific details.

In April, the company announced plans to upgrade service across Durham, with a specific mention of the 9th Street area. Verizon spokesperson Chris Serico told The News & Observer the company has installed at least six small-cell sites near 9th Street that “will start to go live in the coming months and further boost network strength in 2024.”

This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.

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