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Broadband technician vs tower hand

The differences between broadband technicians and tower hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a broadband technician has an average salary of $41,187, which is higher than the $38,967 average annual salary of a tower hand.

The top three skills for a broadband technician include broadband, work ethic and TV. The most important skills for a tower hand are CPR, RF, and OSHA.

Broadband technician vs tower hand overview

Broadband TechnicianTower Hand
Yearly salary$41,187$38,967
Hourly rate$19.80$18.73
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs108,1097,550
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 54%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

What does a broadband technician do?

A broadband technician specializes in installing and maintaining telecommunication systems such as telephone lines, broadband internet, and cable television. Their job usually entails traveling to different residential areas or business establishments to perform on-site installations, inspections, or disconnections. They respond to issues and concerns, inspect systems for damages, troubleshoot problems, fix or replace components, and maintain records. Moreover, a broadband technician also assists clients by answering inquiries, providing cost estimates, educating the clients about the situation, or refer other products or services when necessary.

What does a tower hand do?

A tower hand is an individual who climbs towers or poles to install, repair, and perform routine maintenance on electrical equipment. Tower hands are required to climb up very tall structures to perform maintenance on equipment such as power lines, cell tower components, or radio antenna equipment. They must perform audits on their climbing equipment so that they can determine the quality of their equipment as well as avoid defects. Tower hands must be competent climbers so that they can safely climb towers while carrying heavy equipment.

Broadband technician vs tower hand salary

Broadband technicians and tower hands have different pay scales, as shown below.

Broadband TechnicianTower Hand
Average salary$41,187$38,967
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $52,000Between $25,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between broadband technician and tower hand education

There are a few differences between a broadband technician and a tower hand in terms of educational background:

Broadband TechnicianTower Hand
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNew York UniversityNew York University

Broadband technician vs tower hand demographics

Here are the differences between broadband technicians' and tower hands' demographics:

Broadband TechnicianTower Hand
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 93.8% Female, 6.2%Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between broadband technician and tower hand duties and responsibilities

Broadband technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Audit cable lines and be in accordance to OSHA standards.
  • Respond to repair service calls to troubleshoot and resolve installation issues.
  • Install and configure communications racks with assort patch panels, routers, radios, and power assemblages.
  • Design homes and businesses up to 700 RF connections and 200 Ethernet connections plus large scale 80211 (Wi-Fi).
  • Work with coax and ethernet phone lines.
  • Show more

Tower hand example responsibilities.

  • Do grounding, terminations, fastening, proper bolting, support of leads, and cad welding.
  • Utilize Anritsu site master in conducting tests on sites while accomplishing tasks including lighting upgrades and troubleshooting of light systems
  • Operate all equipment and hand tools according to OSHA safety rules.
  • Complete installation of UMTS and GSM antenna's, lines, connectors, TMA's, jumpers and support hardware.
  • Assist sweep and PIM testing.
  • Perform Anritsu testing and fiber tests on hybrids.
  • Show more

Broadband technician vs tower hand skills

Common broadband technician skills
  • Broadband, 22%
  • Work Ethic, 7%
  • TV, 7%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Electronic Devices, 5%
  • OSHA, 4%
Common tower hand skills
  • CPR, 16%
  • RF, 14%
  • OSHA, 14%
  • Demolition, 13%
  • Hand Tools, 11%
  • Transmission Lines, 7%

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