Career profile · 49-2021
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
Repair, install, or maintain mobile or stationary radio transmitting, broadcasting, and receiving equipment, and two-way radio communications systems used in cellular telecommunications, mobile broadband, ship-to-shore, aircraft-to-ground communications, and radio equipment in service and emergency vehicles. May test and analyze network coverage.
What the work can involve
- Inspect completed work to ensure all hardware is tight, antennas are level, hangers are properly fastened, proper support is in place, or adequate weather proofing has been installed.
- Run appropriate power, ground, or coaxial cables.
- Test operation of tower transmission components, using sweep testing tools or software.
- Install all necessary transmission equipment components, including antennas or antenna mounts, surge arrestors, transmission lines, connectors, or tower-mounted amplifiers (TMAs).
- Read work orders, blueprints, plans, datasheets or site drawings to determine work to be done.
- Replace existing antennas with new antennas as directed.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Monitoring
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Computers and Electronics
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- Administration and Management
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 49.4%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Once a year or more but not every month | 31.1%08/2022 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 85.6%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 44.9%08/2022 · sample 21 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 49.3%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Standing | About half the time | 39.1%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | More than half the time | 54.8%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 38.3%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 47.5%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 76.1%08/2022 · sample 22 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: AERONET calculator, Sweep analysis software, Zoho WebNMS Cell Tower Manager
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Facilities management software: Computerized maintenance management system CMMS, Maintenance documentation software
- Geographic information system: Caliper Maptitude
- Map creation software: Location mapping software
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Project management software: Microsoft Project
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Web platform development software: Backbone.js
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Associate's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 43 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $79,050 | $38.01 | 50 |
| Arizona | $95,040 | $45.69 | 100 |
| California | $62,840 | $30.21 | 1,030 |
| Colorado | $56,110 | $26.98 | 530 |
| Connecticut | $100,890 | $48.50 | Not published |
| Delaware | $60,740 | $29.20 | 40 |
| Florida | $60,140 | $28.91 | 520 |
| Georgia | $62,010 | $29.81 | 190 |
| Hawaii | $65,970 | $31.71 | 70 |
| Idaho | $107,250 | $51.56 | Not published |
| Illinois | $61,110 | $29.38 | 780 |
| Indiana | $60,840 | $29.25 | 280 |
| Iowa | $50,760 | $24.40 | 50 |
| Kansas | $58,010 | $27.89 | 80 |
| Kentucky | $49,840 | $23.96 | 90 |
| Maine | $51,970 | $24.99 | 130 |
| Maryland | $100,800 | $48.46 | 370 |
| Massachusetts | $60,890 | $29.28 | Not published |
| Michigan | $64,130 | $30.83 | 410 |
| Minnesota | $76,960 | $37.00 | 80 |
| Mississippi | $47,960 | $23.06 | Not published |
| Missouri | $52,450 | $25.21 | 130 |
| Montana | $47,000 | $22.60 | 100 |
| Nebraska | $52,410 | $25.20 | Not published |
| Nevada | $79,380 | $38.16 | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $62,450 | $30.03 | 110 |
| New Jersey | $75,930 | $36.51 | 590 |
| New Mexico | $65,110 | $31.30 | 100 |
| New York | $81,070 | $38.97 | 420 |
| North Carolina | $47,040 | $22.62 | 280 |
| Ohio | $72,160 | $34.69 | 370 |
| Oklahoma | $55,880 | $26.87 | 130 |
| Oregon | $61,020 | $29.34 | 320 |
| Pennsylvania | $103,010 | $49.52 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $78,250 | $37.62 | 40 |
| South Dakota | $63,620 | $30.59 | 30 |
| Tennessee | $49,140 | $23.62 | 330 |
| Texas | $77,910 | $37.46 | 830 |
| Vermont | $59,290 | $28.50 | 60 |
| Virginia | $67,790 | $32.59 | 660 |
| Washington | $79,020 | $37.99 | 240 |
| West Virginia | $62,170 | $29.89 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | $57,740 | $27.76 | Not published |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 55 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers→
- Communications Equipment Operators, All Other→
- Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers→
- Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 49-2021.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.