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How Much Do Cell Tower Climbers Get Paid

6 min read

Steel in the Air has been gathering data about lease rates for nearly 20 years. Our database consists of nearly 13,000 leases that contain lease rate information. We have gathered this data from public and private sources over the last two decades. Nobody has a more thorough lease rate database other than the tower companies and wireless carriers themselves. Some tower climber jobs involve more than just installing and maintaining cell towers.

You never know; you might just be a perfect fit for that next technician job. Working as a cell tower technician is a rewarding, well-paying, exciting and important job that has many benefits. It can be stressful, but often workers find that the satisfaction of a job well done combined with the pay and benefits involved make it well worth it. This job is best suited to people who like fast-paced, high-stakes work. That means very little downtime, working at a quick pace, working from large heights and having to pay close attention to safety at all times. For those who don’t handle stress well, are afraid of heights or have trouble remembering step-by-step procedures, this might not be the job for you.

They wear only safety harnesses, as they climb towers while lugging replacement parts, tool bags and other necessary equipment. Radio tower climbers are exposed to all types of weather, including strong winds, as they complete their tasks on the towers. Cell tower climbers are routinely required to climb up to 500 feet off the ground. Towers of all sizes and uses require repairs and trouble-shooting, and as there are so many, tower climbers are in very high demand. Their schedules vary, with long hours and long distances traveled to get to the next cell tower.

A communications technician utilizes their expertise in electronics by diagnosing issues and repairing devices ranging from cellphones, laptops, tablets, and more. They are responsible for troubleshooting and discussing the extent of malfunction with clients. Technicians diagnose the root of the problem and determine which corrective measure to take. A communications technician may work independently or as a member of a company.

We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers. When you factor in a one percent difference in your yearly rental increase, you could be talking about $150,000 to $200,000 over the course of a 25-year lease. If you have a three-carrier tower, you’re talking about a half a million dollars.If you don’t negotiatefor as high of a rate as you can, you could be losing out big time in the long run. ZipRecruiter has an annual salary of $69,500, but the majority of Tower Climber salaries are in the range of $41,000 to $54,500.

The Average Salary Of A Skidder Operator In The Logging Industry

The wireless carrier or tower company also provides suggestions on the appropriate starting offer lease rate. The site acquisition agent, if they are good at what they do, will have already analyzed the area and chosen the sites that best fit the objectives provided by the wireless carrier or tower company. They are required by their contract with the wireless companies to find three alternative candidates for the proposed tower or rooftop site. They know whether your site will work under local zoning regulations, federal regulations, and whether the site is easy to construct or not. They will have done a competitive analysis of the area to determine whether multiple properties could work and meet the carrier’s objectives. Unfortunately, they won’t tell you what they found in their research.

I applied for a company that offered on-the-job training but they weren’t hiring right now. Depending upon how much you work and what company you’re with the pay can range from $32,000 to $50,000 per year. When I first started I thought, “I know these guys are making $50 an hour,” but it’s not true. If you go up a tower and you’re climbing 400 feet, you’re not coming down to get a cup of coffee, you’re not coming down to warm your hands, you’re not coming down for a lunch break. When you go up the tower you’re going to be there all day, it’s kind of like being like a mountain climber. A cable technician is responsible for managing cable systems, installing cable equipment, upgrading network systems, and troubleshooting cable issues.

Cell Tower Lease Rates In 2021

Some report only being home one week between working 6 – 8 week shifts traveling between sites far from home. The national average salary for a Cell Tower Climber is $45,719 per year in United States. Filter by location to see a Cell Tower Climber salaries in your area. Salaries estimates are based on 6 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Cell Tower Climber employees. The 10% that made the lowest earned around $26,200 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If you are thinking of becoming a Tower Climber or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Tower Climber. But even then, the phone doesn’t work without a functioning cell tower. And if that tower ever stops functioning, some poor bastard has to scale the thing and fix it. If that sounds simple, well, here are some things you should know.

High Paying Tower Climber Jobs

The qualifications needed will depend on the job description and each individual company’s qualifications, so check job advertisements carefully. No matter your level of education, you will undergo on-the-job training and be required to sit for a safety training session. Technicians can work on towers for hours throughout the day, every day of the week. When cell tower technicians are working, they need the right level of strength and energy to be confident at that height.

These are now deemed “essential” jobs that always have openings and availability. A tower climber’s role is to perform comprehensive installations, inspections, and maintain the antennas and other transmitter systems. The climbing component is the dangerous part of the job, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle for a professional tower climber. A professional cell tower climber is expected to be well-versed in communications technology, cable splicing, and other technical responsibilities. If a tower climber works for a specific brand, they must know the industry wiring methods for equipment to be hired for that particular company.

The extreme conditions in Alaska prompt higher salaries, just be prepared because storms in Alaska can come without warning. And, if it is 20 degrees on the ground, it is likely to be below zero on the top of a tower. A couple of years ago I watched a video of two guys climbing a tower to do a repair… I remember it got me to thinking that it had been a while since I’d done anything that was interesting and a little adventurous too. I’ve researched this job once or twice since then (I too admit to thinking it must pay extremely well!); lately I’ve wondered what it would be like to really do this. I live in north Mississippi and there seems to be as much of this kind of work here as anywhere else (who can live without telecommunication technology anymore?). So who does one contact to see about applying for a job like this?

This data is from a study that we conducted for a client where we looked at average lease rates for ground leases and collocation leases in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The terms that leasing agents want to agree with aren’t based on how well they’ll serve you. They’re going to want to do well for the tower companies and cell providers, whether negotiating lease terms, orcell tower lease buyouts. How much do the guys get paid to change light bulbs on towers? Tower climbers in the United States make an average salary of $41,931 per year or $20.16 per hour. In the last 10 years, nearly 100 tower climbers have been killed on the job, making it the most dangerous job in America.

“I didn’t agree with it,” says Roland, “but I didn’t want to lose $800 either, so I kept my mouth shut.” Maybe you’ve heard a little something about the deadly dangers of cellphones. Cell radiation, like all things, can cause cancer in rats, so some insist the only safe way to use a phone is to separate yourself from the headset with a lead-lined Magneto helmet. A broadband technician specializes in installing and maintaining telecommunication systems such as telephone lines, broadband internet, and cable television. Their job usually entails traveling to different residential areas or business establishments to perform on-site installations, inspections, or disconnections.

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