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Cell site technician vs communications technician

The differences between cell site technicians and communications technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cell site technician has an average salary of $67,609, which is higher than the $52,222 average annual salary of a communications technician.

The top three skills for a cell site technician include RF, antenna systems and T1. The most important skills for a communications technician are customer service, rehabilitation, and hand tools.

Cell site technician vs communications technician overview

Cell Site TechnicianCommunications Technician
Yearly salary$67,609$52,222
Hourly rate$32.50$25.11
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs32,099125,698
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%Associate Degree, 35%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Cell site technician vs communications technician salary

Cell site technicians and communications technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Cell Site TechnicianCommunications Technician
Average salary$67,609$52,222
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $100,000Between $29,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City-Tualatin, OR
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Pacifi
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between cell site technician and communications technician education

There are a few differences between a cell site technician and a communications technician in terms of educational background:

Cell Site TechnicianCommunications Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%Associate Degree, 35%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeInter American University of Puerto Rico BayamonStanford University

Cell site technician vs communications technician demographics

Here are the differences between cell site technicians' and communications technicians' demographics:

Cell Site TechnicianCommunications Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 93.9% Female, 6.1%Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between cell site technician and communications technician duties and responsibilities

Cell site technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage LAN as an administrator for NATO HQ network.
  • Commission and troubleshot LTE, GSM, UMTS cellular systems.
  • Receive several weeks of Ericsson vendor training in Richardson, TX.
  • Coordinate with LEC's and wireless partners to build translations and turn up trunks.
  • Work closely with FCC and FAA guidelines to insure proper installation and amplification output limits.
  • Provide support to Nokia's development team for design and manufacturing faults on their handsets.
  • Show more

Communications technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and maintain communications for users on FMC's IBM SNA network.
  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Complete installs and ensure that they are up to code base on current NEC, NESC, and OSHA regulations.
  • Install and configure Cisco routers.
  • Perform installations of Safeway POS systems.
  • Test cable lines and equipment to NEC standards.
  • Show more

Cell site technician vs communications technician skills

Common cell site technician skills
  • RF, 11%
  • Antenna Systems, 7%
  • T1, 6%
  • Fiber Optic, 6%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Battery, 3%
Common communications technician skills
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Rehabilitation, 9%
  • Hand Tools, 9%
  • Fiber Optic, 9%
  • Patch Panels, 5%
  • Telephone Systems, 4%

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