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Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 49-2021.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
12 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers, trained hybrid, time-based, competency-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for Fiber Optic Technician (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICIAN, RADIO | 0164 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| Fiber Optic Technician | 2064 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Maintenance & Condition Assessment Foreman (MCF) | 2065 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Maintenance & Condition Assessment Lead (MCL) | 2066 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| RADIO MECHANIC (Any Ind) | 0465 | Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| Small Cell Technician | 3023 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| TELECOMMUNICATION TOWER TECHNICIAN | 2030 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Telecommunications Tower Antenna & Line Foreman | 2054 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Telecommunications Tower Antenna & Line Lead | 2055 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Telecommunications Tower Construction Foreman | 2052 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Telecommunications Tower Construction Lead | 2053 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Wireless Technician | 2038 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers earn, by state
Idaho has the highest state median for radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers ($107,250) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($26,640), across the 45 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | $107,250 | $51.56 | Not published |
| Pennsylvania | $103,010 | $49.52 | 240 |
| Connecticut | $100,890 | $48.50 | Not published |
| Maryland | $100,800 | $48.46 | 370 |
| Arizona | $95,040 | $45.69 | 100 |
| New York | $81,070 | $38.97 | 420 |
| Nevada | $79,380 | $38.16 | 60 |
| Alaska | $79,050 | $38.01 | 50 |
| Washington | $79,020 | $37.99 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $78,250 | $37.62 | 40 |
| Texas | $77,910 | $37.46 | 830 |
| Minnesota | $76,960 | $37.00 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $75,930 | $36.51 | 590 |
| Ohio | $72,160 | $34.69 | 370 |
| Virginia | $67,790 | $32.59 | 660 |
| Hawaii | $65,970 | $31.71 | 70 |
| New Mexico | $65,110 | $31.30 | 100 |
| Michigan | $64,130 | $30.83 | 410 |
| South Dakota | $63,620 | $30.59 | 30 |
| California | $62,840 | $30.21 | 1,030 |
| New Hampshire | $62,450 | $30.03 | 110 |
| West Virginia | $62,170 | $29.89 | 120 |
| Georgia | $62,010 | $29.81 | 190 |
| Illinois | $61,110 | $29.38 | 780 |
| Oregon | $61,020 | $29.34 | 320 |
| Massachusetts | $60,890 | $29.28 | Not published |
| Indiana | $60,840 | $29.25 | 280 |
| Delaware | $60,740 | $29.20 | 40 |
| Florida | $60,140 | $28.91 | 520 |
| Vermont | $59,290 | $28.50 | 60 |
| Kansas | $58,010 | $27.89 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $57,740 | $27.76 | Not published |
| Colorado | $56,110 | $26.98 | 530 |
| Oklahoma | $55,880 | $26.87 | 130 |
| Missouri | $52,450 | $25.21 | 130 |
| Nebraska | $52,410 | $25.20 | Not published |
| Maine | $51,970 | $24.99 | 130 |
| Iowa | $50,760 | $24.40 | 50 |
| Kentucky | $49,840 | $23.96 | 90 |
| Tennessee | $49,140 | $23.62 | 330 |
| Mississippi | $47,960 | $23.06 | Not published |
| North Carolina | $47,040 | $22.62 | 280 |
| Montana | $47,000 | $22.60 | 100 |
| Guam | $37,570 | $18.06 | 80 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,640 | $12.81 | 210 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).