Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RCI

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.

Also called: Radio Frequency Technician (RF Tech), Radio Technician (Radio Tech), Tower Technician (Tower Tech), Two-Way Radio Technician (Two-Way Radio Tech), Communications Systems Technician, Field Service Technician (Field Service Tech), Field Technician (Field Tech), Installation Technician (Installation Tech).

O*NET 49-2021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $63,520; Middle half earn $50,580 to $82,370. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 31% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Climb towers to access components, using safety equipment, such as full-body harnesses.
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.
Climb communication towers to install, replace, or repair antennas or auxiliary equipment used to transmit and receive radio waves.
Replace existing antennas with new antennas as directed.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.3 / 5
Active Listening3.3 / 5
Speaking3.3 / 5
Critical Thinking3.3 / 5
Monitoring3.1 / 5
Writing3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Computers and Electronics4.1 / 5
Telecommunications3.9 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.9 / 5
Mechanical3.4 / 5
Administration and Management3.3 / 5
Engineering and Technology3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic96
Investigative41
Artistic1
Social6
Enterprising6
Conventional59

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

telecommunications engineer · DE Telekommunikationsingenieur/Telekommunikationsingenieurin · FR ingénieur de télécommunications/ingénieure de télécommunications
telecommunications engineering technician · DE Maschinenbautechniker im Bereich Telekommunikation/Maschinenbautechnikerin im Bereich Telekommunikation · FR technicien en télécommunications/technicienne en télécommunications
communication infrastructure maintainer · DE Servicetechniker für Kommunikationsinfrastrukturen/Servicetechnikerin für Kommunikationsinfrastrukturen · FR agent de maintenance des infrastructures de télécommunications/agente de maintenance des infrastructures de télécommunications
mobile phone repair technician · DE Kundendiensttechniker – Mobiltelefone/Kundendiensttechnikerin - Mobiltelefone · FR réparateur de téléphones portables/réparatrice de téléphones portables
radio technician · DE Elektroniker/Elektronikerin · FR technicien radio/technicienne radio
telecommunications equipment maintainer · DE Systemtechniker (Telekommunikationstechnik)/Systemtechnikerin (Telekommunikationstechnik) · FR agent de maintenance des équipements de télécommunication/agente de maintenance des équipements de télécommunication

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Computer system and equipment installers and servicers (5244)41,000 employed
TV, video and audio servicers and repairers (5243)7,300 employed
Telecoms and related network installers and repairers (5242)36,900 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.63. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-2021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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