Telecom Support Technicians
Telecommunication Support Technicians, or Telecom Support Specialists, provide end users with technical support for radio, fiber, microwave, and other telecommunication equipment every day. They are the primary contacts for all types of telecom queries.
Their responsibilities include troubleshooting, maintenance, installation, and overall supervision of data and telecom equipment. It includes supporting telephony hardware and applications, such as analog, ISDN, and SIP, fax, security, modems, video conferencing units, and VoIP, among others. Moreover, they plan and implement all telecommunication network movement, additions, and overall changes.
As technicians have to ensure the satisfaction of their organization/clients, they need to have excellent customer service skills. They have to handle, prioritize, and resolve tickets that the help desk receives and provide topnotch support related to issues concerning telecom applications and operating systems as per the service level agreements (SLAs).
Technicians need to be well-versed with the technical aspects of PCs/laptops/mobile devices, telephony equipment, server operations, online transmissions, Internet, and e-commerce. They need to have solid verbal and written communication skills.
Technicians need to have an analytical bent of mind and must adeptly solve problems. They should be conversant with the data processing ecosystem and their impact on functions of business when applications and systems are not functioning well.
Technicians must be willing to work flexible hours and travel to client locations and, therefore, need to be available at the beck and call.
Job Description
Freelance Telecom Support Technicians keep track of all requests and to ensure that they meet customers’ telecommunication requirements. They maintain and upgrade existing equipment, connect installed telecommunication equipment to networks, and test equipment and systems to identify and resolve problems by working with application development, the internal telephony, system operations, and vendors.
Specialists maintain legacy telecommunication systems, as well as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) of their organization/clients. They install and relocate telecom assets as per the process of their organization/clients.
Technicians create and maintain documentation of all incidents. They also install various telecommunication related equipment, including switches, routers, and hubs. They understand the needs and requirements of the users to set up technology to assist their workplace productivity, as well as assisting the enterprise IT team in choosing and deploying new technology for the telecom infrastructure. As they have a say in an organization’s overall telecommunication needs, they must mediate between the telephone service providers and equipment vendors.
Technicians comprehend and explain drawings, schematics, and technical manuals required for installing, repairing and aligning telecom equipment to specifications. They aid in deploying and maintaining operating and management software. Technicians’ research, evaluate, and implement modifications to hardware or to apply software patches. They aid in analyzing new services and products.
Technicians help in providing practical assessment and analytic mechanisms so that systems work reliably and healthily. They suggest telecom solutions that are cost-effective and satisfy strict reliability and security needs of their organization.
Technicians adhere to the change management processes of the organization/clients they work for. They plan, update, and follow thoroughly work instructions with regards to the maintenance of the telecom network.
Technicians put in place precautionary maintenance programs and update them as required and ensure that they are meeting schedules. They document modifications made to the equipment and systems and maintain their records in various formats.
Technicians train and guide their juniors. They perform installation and maintenance for trunked radio and radio system.
Service technician’s role also includes researching and how an organization’s telecommunication systems can be improved upon and in coming up with recommendations to cut down operating costs. They need to devise and assist in the carrier service and equipment’s development of standards. Finally, they must maintain documentation for system testing and resolution of problems.
Educational Qualifications and Certifications
Telecom Support Technicians need a high school degree, if not a bachelor’s, in telecommunications or related fields. Candidates will also need at least an experience of two years in a telecommunications-related field.
They need to have a certification in Network + or A+ from CompTIA or in CCNA and a basic understanding of networking, hardware, and software, besides knowledge in EMS/SCADA Systems.
It will help if they keep themselves abreast of all the relevant and emerging technologies.
Future of Telecom Support Technicians
With the adoption of 5G on the anvil, more complex smart devices, such as wearables and web-connected appliances, will make their way into our lives over the next decade. It is estimated that there would be around 26 billion connected devices across the world by 2020.
These developments may result in jobs decreasing for Telecom Technicians by eight percent during the period 2016-2026, but the requirement for skilled support technicians to take care of current systems will remain stable, says the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Salary
According to salary, the recently calculated average salary of Telecom Technicians I is $53,309 per year in the United States, with the range varying from $46,574 to $60,538.
Know how Field Engineer Helps
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