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Central office technician vs installation technician

The differences between central office technicians and installation technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a central office technician has an average salary of $39,043, which is higher than the $38,043 average annual salary of an installation technician.

The top three skills for a central office technician include fiber optic cables, switches and T1. The most important skills for an installation technician are customer service, ladders, and hand tools.

Central office technician vs installation technician overview

Central Office TechnicianInstallation Technician
Yearly salary$39,043$38,043
Hourly rate$18.77$18.29
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs79,138129,534
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 41%High School Diploma, 32%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Central office technician vs installation technician salary

Central office technicians and installation technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Central Office TechnicianInstallation Technician
Average salary$39,043$38,043
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $63,000Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Pella
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between central office technician and installation technician education

There are a few differences between a central office technician and an installation technician in terms of educational background:

Central Office TechnicianInstallation Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 41%High School Diploma, 32%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNew York University

Central office technician vs installation technician demographics

Here are the differences between central office technicians' and installation technicians' demographics:

Central Office TechnicianInstallation Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 79.5% Female, 20.5%Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between central office technician and installation technician duties and responsibilities

Central office technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage assigned Ericsson AXE patch upgrades and retrofits for all AXE sites.
  • Assist in managing CDMA network, Voice/EVDO circuit's layouts, CDM circuit inventory and roll over's for cell sites.
  • Install all Nortel DMS series equipment.
  • Operate power-meters, spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, and various RF test equipment.
  • Install and troubleshoot telecommunications circuits and devices including legacy, asynchronous, SONET, and Ethernet equipment.
  • Associate duties include running cable, lacing, stitching, wire wrapping, mounting bays, etc.
    • Show more

Installation technician example responsibilities.

  • Project manage the complete installation of power and floor space of Nortel wireless switches.
  • Install, manage, and troubleshoot CAT3, CAT5, CAT6, and fiber optic infrastructures throughout the greater Tulsa area.
  • Train to build and verify customer routers, TCP/IP addresses ad gateways.
  • Inspect buildings, interpret blueprints, and laid out cable lines for telephone, internet, and cable TV.
  • Install telecommunications equipment including fire-suppression systems, switches, routers, multiplexers and cable trays.
  • Switch include 25 DMS bays , 2 PDC's and all associate cables.
    • Show more

Central office technician vs installation technician skills

Common central office technician skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 8%
  • Switches, 7%
  • T1, 5%
  • Provisioning, 5%
  • DS3, 4%
  • IP, 4%
Common installation technician skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • Ladders, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Work Ethic, 7%
  • Broadband, 5%
  • GPS, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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