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Communications equipment installer vs central office technician

The differences between communications equipment installers and central office technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a communications equipment installer has an average salary of $42,455, which is higher than the $39,043 average annual salary of a central office technician.

The top three skills for a communications equipment installer include hand tools, fiber optic and ladders. The most important skills for a central office technician are fiber optic cables, switches, and T1.

Communications equipment installer vs central office technician overview

Communications Equipment InstallerCentral Office Technician
Yearly salary$42,455$39,043
Hourly rate$20.41$18.77
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs44,84279,138
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 40%Associate Degree, 41%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Communications equipment installer vs central office technician salary

Communications equipment installers and central office technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Communications Equipment InstallerCentral Office Technician
Average salary$42,455$39,043
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $49,000Between $24,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between communications equipment installer and central office technician education

There are a few differences between a communications equipment installer and a central office technician in terms of educational background:

Communications Equipment InstallerCentral Office Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 40%Associate Degree, 41%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeInter American University of Puerto Rico BayamonUniversity of Pennsylvania

Communications equipment installer vs central office technician demographics

Here are the differences between communications equipment installers' and central office technicians' demographics:

Communications Equipment InstallerCentral Office Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 93.4% Female, 6.6%Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between communications equipment installer and central office technician duties and responsibilities

Communications equipment installer example responsibilities.

  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Perform troubleshooting and diagnosis PC Hardware/Software problem at residential and commercial customer.
  • Determine acceptability of video and data services by reviewing television picture quality and PC and modem connections following any work.
  • Provide rehabilitation to adults with severe/profound developmental disabilities.
  • Provide rehabilitation to adults with severe/profound developmental disabilities.

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

Communications equipment installer vs central office technician skills

Common communications equipment installer skills
  • Hand Tools, 19%
  • Fiber Optic, 15%
  • Ladders, 14%
  • Telecommunication, 9%
  • Patch Panels, 7%
  • Data Communications Equipment, 5%
Common central office technician skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 8%
  • Switches, 7%
  • T1, 5%
  • Provisioning, 5%
  • DS3, 4%
  • IP, 4%

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