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Tower technician vs outside plant technician

The differences between tower technicians and outside plant technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outside plant technician has an average salary of $42,451, which is higher than the $37,471 average annual salary of a tower technician.

The top three skills for a tower technician include OSHA, CPR and RF. The most important skills for an outside plant technician are ladders, outside plant, and CDL.

Tower technician vs outside plant technician overview

Tower TechnicianOutside Plant Technician
Yearly salary$37,471$42,451
Hourly rate$18.01$20.41
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs92,56667,234
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%Associate Degree, 38%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Tower technician vs outside plant technician salary

Tower technicians and outside plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Tower TechnicianOutside Plant Technician
Average salary$37,471$42,451
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $46,000Between $29,000 And $61,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WA-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companySPX-
Best paying industryConstruction-

Differences between tower technician and outside plant technician education

There are a few differences between a tower technician and an outside plant technician in terms of educational background:

Tower TechnicianOutside Plant Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%Associate Degree, 38%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Tower technician vs outside plant technician demographics

Here are the differences between tower technicians' and outside plant technicians' demographics:

Tower TechnicianOutside Plant Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 96.9% Female, 3.1%Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between tower technician and outside plant technician duties and responsibilities

Tower technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and make critical decisions in accordance with regulations for access and scheduling for certain private and federal FAA sites.
  • Hang and connect antenna's and TMA's.
  • Install grind rods and cad weld to form grind ring.
  • Complete several CPR and safety courses.
  • Remove old antennas and install new LTE antennas.
  • Get materials together, climb and rig towers.
  • Show more

Outside plant technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and administer documentation of OSP fiber optic plant in support of customer projects, network planning, and municipality requirements.
  • Move and/or lift items such as ladders, tools, air tanks, cable reels, and test equipment
  • Install residential and business telephone lines, including premise CAT5 wiring and jack work.
  • Perform construction work such as digging holes, installing inner duct in various types of conduit systems and open excavations.
  • Organize projects that include open excavations, placing cables, air pipes and inner duct in various types of conduit systems.
  • Install and repair T1 and T3 systems.
  • Show more

Tower technician vs outside plant technician skills

Common tower technician skills
  • OSHA, 17%
  • CPR, 15%
  • RF, 14%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
  • PIM, 4%
Common outside plant technician skills
  • Ladders, 10%
  • Outside Plant, 10%
  • CDL, 8%
  • Test Equipment, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • OSHA, 5%

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