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Cell site technician vs switch technician

The differences between cell site technicians and switch technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a switch technician has an average salary of $101,377, which is higher than the $67,609 average annual salary of a cell site technician.

The top three skills for a cell site technician include RF, antenna systems and T1. The most important skills for a switch technician are switches, routine maintenance, and T1.

Cell site technician vs switch technician overview

Cell Site TechnicianSwitch Technician
Yearly salary$67,609$101,377
Hourly rate$32.50$48.74
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs32,09946,430
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%Associate Degree, 42%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Cell site technician vs switch technician salary

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

Cell Site TechnicianSwitch Technician
Average salary$67,609$101,377
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $100,000Between $76,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between cell site technician and switch technician education

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

Cell Site TechnicianSwitch Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%Associate Degree, 42%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeInter American University of Puerto Rico BayamonInter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Cell site technician vs switch technician demographics

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

Cell Site TechnicianSwitch Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 93.9% Female, 6.1%Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
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, 12.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between cell site technician and switch 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

Switch technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage LAN as an administrator for NATO HQ network.
  • Assist in managing CDMA network, Voice/EVDO circuit's layouts, CDM circuit inventory and roll over's for cell sites.
  • Configure Veraz switch for TDM and IP services.
  • Coordinate installation, testing, and troubleshooting of transmission facilities (OC48, T3, T1, and DSO).
  • Work with management team to develop a comprehensive and successful IP and TDM base network infrastructure and unify communications plan.
  • Circuit switching (DMS-250 and Alcatel DEX-600E).
  • Show more

Cell site technician vs switch technician skills

Common cell site technician skills
  • RF, 11%
  • Antenna Systems, 7%
  • T1, 6%
  • Fiber Optic, 6%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Battery, 3%
Common switch technician skills
  • Switches, 9%
  • Routine Maintenance, 7%
  • T1, 7%
  • RF, 6%
  • Technical Support, 4%
  • Trouble Tickets, 4%

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