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Fiber optic central office installer vs telecom technician

The differences between fiber optic central office installers and telecom technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a telecom technician has an average salary of $54,352, which is higher than the $40,855 average annual salary of a fiber optic central office installer.

The top three skills for a fiber optic central office installer include fiber optic cables, test equipment and install fiber. The most important skills for a telecom technician are fiber optic cables, voip, and switches.

Fiber optic central office installer vs telecom technician overview

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerTelecom Technician
Yearly salary$40,855$54,352
Hourly rate$19.64$26.13
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs48,663111,865
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 38%Associate Degree, 40%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Fiber optic central office installer vs telecom technician salary

Fiber optic central office installers and telecom technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerTelecom Technician
Average salary$40,855$54,352
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $54,000Between $33,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between fiber optic central office installer and telecom technician education

There are a few differences between a fiber optic central office installer and a telecom technician in terms of educational background:

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerTelecom Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 38%Associate Degree, 40%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityInter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Fiber optic central office installer vs telecom technician demographics

Here are the differences between fiber optic central office installers' and telecom technicians' demographics:

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerTelecom Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 97.6% Female, 2.4%Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between fiber optic central office installer and telecom technician duties and responsibilities

Fiber optic central office installer example responsibilities.

  • Wire and test RJ45, both in UTP and STP as well as CAT5/5E and CAT6.
  • Help linemen with the installation of underground and ariel fiber optics.
  • Repair and install business and residential FiOS digital telephone, broadband internet, and high-definition television service.
  • Configure Cat6 cabling/wall jack terminations, testing voice/data line activity to confirm connections.

Telecom technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and report on SLA's and work with vendors for any corrections or necessary actions.
  • Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
  • Pull CAT5e, CAT6, coax cable, install patch panels and connect network devices including routers and switches.
  • Work with passive equipment such as: RF cable, connectors, twist pair cable, CAT5 and CAT6.
  • Create new, augmenting, or deleting trunks in the Nortel DMS switch.
  • Install and repair coax cable, CatV, and fiber optic and copper lines.
  • Show more

Fiber optic central office installer vs telecom technician skills

Common fiber optic central office installer skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 35%
  • Test Equipment, 29%
  • Install Fiber, 10%
  • Cable Lines, 10%
  • CAT5, 9%
  • Patch Panels, 7%
Common telecom technician skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 7%
  • VoIP, 7%
  • Switches, 6%
  • IP, 6%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Technical Support, 5%

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