Average Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Salary in South Africa for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Telecommunication Equipment Engineer salary for 2024 in South Africa and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the South African rand. To keep things simple, we are using the ZAR currency code instead of the currency symbol R.

How Much Does a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Make in South Africa?

A Telecommunication Equipment Engineer working in South Africa will typically earn around 288,700 ZAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 134,600 ZAR to the highest average salary of 462,300 ZAR.

Average Annual Salary
288,700 ZAR
Average Monthly Salary
24,058 ZAR

Lowest Annual Salary
134,600 ZAR
Lowest Monthly Salary
11,216 ZAR

Highest Annual Salary
462,300 ZAR
Highest Monthly Salary
38,525 ZAR

These are average salaries for a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Telecommunication Equipment Engineer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Salaries in South Africa

So we've looked at the average salaries a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer will earn in South Africa. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer can earn between 134,600 ZAR and 462,300 ZAR on average in South Africa. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa is 315,700 ZAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 315,700 ZAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 315,700 ZAR.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Telecommunication Equipment Engineer salary in South Africa, 25% of the population are earning less than 201,100 ZAR while 75% of the population earn more than 201,100 ZAR.

75% of the population earn less than 417,100 ZAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 417,100 ZAR.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Salary by Experience Level in South Africa

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average telecommunication equipment engineer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 152,100 ZAR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Telecommunication Equipment Engineer salary would increase to 204,700 ZAR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer, the average salary would be 301,800 ZAR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 363,000 ZAR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Telecommunication Equipment Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 398,300 ZAR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 430,000 ZAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
152,100 ZAR
2-5 Years +34%
204,700 ZAR
5-10 Years +48%
301,800 ZAR
10-15 Years +22%
363,000 ZAR
15-20 Years +9%
398,300 ZAR
20+ Years +8%
430,000 ZAR

Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Salary by Education Level in South Africa

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 176,800 ZAR.

  • Master's Degree. A Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 340,400 ZAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
176,800 ZAR
Master's Degree +93%
340,400 ZAR

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in South Africa is around 156,000 to 467,000 ZAR and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In South Africa, a male telecommunication equipment engineer will earn an average of 308,900 ZAR, while a female telecommunication equipment engineer will earn around 273,000 ZAR.

This means that a male telecommunication equipment engineer earns approximately 13% more than a female telecommunication equipment engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in South Africa

Male
308,900 ZAR
Female -13%
273,000 ZAR

Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Average Pay Raise in South Africa

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa is around 11% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in South Africa is around 8% every 18 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in South Africa for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in South Africa.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Telecommunication Equipment Engineer is a moderate bonus based job, with 58% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

42% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in South Africa earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
386,400 ZAR
Private Sector -7%
361,500 ZAR

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Telecommunication Equipment Engineer in South Africa.

Job Title Category Salary
Access Operation Team Leader Telecommunication 404,600 ZAR
Audio Visual Installer Telecommunication 190,500 ZAR
Broadband Technician Telecommunication 195,200 ZAR
Chief Technology Officer Telecommunication 615,000 ZAR
Customer Implementation Support Telecommunication 204,700 ZAR
Fiber Optic Technician Telecommunication 208,600 ZAR
Mobile Data Coordinator Telecommunication 204,000 ZAR
OSP Site Supervisor Telecommunication 252,300 ZAR
Retention Executive Telecommunication 504,400 ZAR
RF Engineer Telecommunication 341,400 ZAR
Sales Director Telecommunication 619,000 ZAR
Sales Engineer Telecommunication 396,300 ZAR
Technical Support Engineer Telecommunication 344,600 ZAR
Telecom Chief Engineer Telecommunication 394,300 ZAR
Telecom Specialist Telecommunication 431,300 ZAR
Telecommunication Consultant Telecommunication 455,400 ZAR
Telecommunication Dispatcher Telecommunication 176,800 ZAR
Telecommunication Logistics Supervisor Telecommunication 265,000 ZAR
Telecommunication Product Manager Telecommunication 420,800 ZAR
Telecommunication Project Coordinator Telecommunication 233,600 ZAR
Telecommunication Project Manager Telecommunication 451,000 ZAR
Telecommunication Service Delivery Manager Telecommunication 467,700 ZAR
Telecommunication Service Management Coordinator Telecommunication 383,300 ZAR
Telecommunication Solution Architect Telecommunication 476,600 ZAR
Telecommunication Surveyor Telecommunication 180,500 ZAR
Telecommunication Team Leader Telecommunication 365,400 ZAR
Telecommunication Technical Manager Telecommunication 447,700 ZAR
Telecommunication Technician Telecommunication 175,900 ZAR
Telecommunications Analyst Telecommunication 430,500 ZAR
Telecommunications Assistant Manager Telecommunication 447,700 ZAR
Telecommunications Chief Engineer Telecommunication 394,500 ZAR
Telecommunications Engineer Telecommunication 365,400 ZAR
Telecommunications Engineering Specialist Telecommunication 386,400 ZAR
Telecommunications Equipment Installer Telecommunication 195,200 ZAR
Telecommunications Facility Examiner Telecommunication 216,800 ZAR
Telecommunications Line Installer Telecommunication 172,400 ZAR
Telecommunications Manager Telecommunication 641,900 ZAR
Telecommunications Network Engineer Telecommunication 385,300 ZAR
Telecommunications Technician Telecommunication 172,200 ZAR

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in South Africa, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Bloemfontein 268,900 ZAR
Cape Town 325,900 ZAR
Durban 294,300 ZAR
Johannesburg 296,000 ZAR
Port Elizabeth 288,100 ZAR
Pretoria 301,600 ZAR

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