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Cell site technician vs tower technician

The differences between cell site technicians and tower 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 $37,471 average annual salary of a tower technician.

The top three skills for a cell site technician include RF, antenna systems and T1. The most important skills for a tower technician are OSHA, CPR, and RF.

Cell site technician vs tower technician overview

Cell Site TechnicianTower Technician
Yearly salary$67,609$37,471
Hourly rate$32.50$18.01
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs32,09992,566
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%High School Diploma, 41%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Cell site technician vs tower technician salary

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

Cell Site TechnicianTower Technician
Average salary$67,609$37,471
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $100,000Between $29,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-SPX
Best paying industry-Construction

Differences between cell site technician and tower technician education

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

Cell Site TechnicianTower Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%High School Diploma, 41%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeInter American University of Puerto Rico BayamonNew York University

Cell site technician vs tower technician demographics

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

Cell Site TechnicianTower Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 93.9% Female, 6.1%Male, 96.9% Female, 3.1%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between cell site technician and tower 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

Tower technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and make critical decisions in accordance with regulations for access and scheduling for certain private and federal FAA sites.
  • Hang and connect antenna's and TMA's.
  • Install grind rods and cad weld to form grind ring.
  • Complete several CPR and safety courses.
  • Remove old antennas and install new LTE antennas.
  • Get materials together, climb and rig towers.
  • Show more

Cell site technician vs tower technician skills

Common cell site technician skills
  • RF, 11%
  • Antenna Systems, 7%
  • T1, 6%
  • Fiber Optic, 6%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Battery, 3%
Common tower technician skills
  • OSHA, 17%
  • CPR, 15%
  • RF, 14%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
  • PIM, 4%

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