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The differences between telecom engineers and radio frequency engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a telecom engineer and a radio frequency engineer. Additionally, a radio frequency engineer has an average salary of $88,301, which is higher than the $81,384 average annual salary of a telecom engineer.
The top three skills for a telecom engineer include voip, telephony and telecommunication. The most important skills for a radio frequency engineer are test equipment, antenna, and system performance.
| Telecom Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,384 | $88,301 |
| Hourly rate | $39.13 | $42.45 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 33,530 | 35,158 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Telecom engineers are engineering experts who design and install telecommunication equipment to ensure the transmission of high-quality data over wired or wireless communication. Due to their in-depth understanding of emerging technologies, these engineers are required to create solution designs such as drawings and design documents as well as offer guidance to reduce complexity and costs. They must identify and resolve any issues related to fiber optics and copper cables while setting up system monitoring to reduce equipment failure and incident response time. Telecom engineers are also required to operate and improve the telephony systems.
A radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment. They make sure that equipment is up to high standards by traveling to different areas as needed, troubleshooting issues to identify the root of problems and performing corrective measures required. Furthermore, a radio frequency engineer must continuously optimize equipment quality and ensure efficiency while adhering to the laws and regulations.
Telecom engineers and radio frequency engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Telecom Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,384 | $88,301 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $104,000 | Between $67,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a telecom engineer and a radio frequency engineer in terms of educational background:
| Telecom Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between telecom engineers' and radio frequency engineers' demographics:
| Telecom Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.7% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |