Post job

Lead cable technician vs central office technician

The differences between lead cable technicians and central office 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 $38,948 average annual salary of a lead cable technician.

The top three skills for a lead cable technician include structured cabling, fiber optic and backbone. The most important skills for a central office technician are fiber optic cables, switches, and T1.

Lead cable technician vs central office technician overview

Lead Cable TechnicianCentral Office Technician
Yearly salary$38,948$39,043
Hourly rate$18.73$18.77
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs43,83779,138
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 34%Associate Degree, 41%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Lead cable technician vs central office technician salary

Lead cable technicians and central office technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lead Cable TechnicianCentral Office Technician
Average salary$38,948$39,043
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $48,000Between $24,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between lead cable technician and central office technician education

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

Lead Cable TechnicianCentral Office Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 34%Associate Degree, 41%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Lead cable technician vs central office technician demographics

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

Lead Cable TechnicianCentral Office Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 94.5% Female, 5.5%Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.4% 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 lead cable technician and central office technician duties and responsibilities

Lead cable technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage projects wiring computer networks and phone systems, using Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a and fiber optics.
  • Complete new construction of IDF's and restructuring of MDF.
  • Patch panel terminations as well as IDF & MDF cable dressing.
  • Voice over IP cabling for telephone communications.
  • Install new racks and bays in relocate MDF's.
  • Voice over IP cabling installs to provide computer networking and telephone communications.
  • Show more

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

Lead cable technician vs central office technician skills

Common lead cable technician skills
  • Structured Cabling, 26%
  • Fiber Optic, 26%
  • Backbone, 11%
  • Ladders, 8%
  • IDF, 4%
  • Patch Panels, 3%
Common central office technician skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 8%
  • Switches, 7%
  • T1, 5%
  • Provisioning, 5%
  • DS3, 4%
  • IP, 4%

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs