Industry · Form 5500 business code 334200
Communications Equipment Mfg: retirement plans
Plans whose sponsor entered this principal business activity code on Form 5500.
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. The business code is chosen by the filer from the list in the Form 5500 instructions.
111 retirement plans in communications equipment mfg with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024 (94 defined contribution, 17 defined benefit). All Form 5500 pension filers in the group reported 601,427 participant records and $117.9B in net assets.
The median defined contribution plan held $129,321 per participant, well above the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $3,138 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $153 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $1.26B and participants $2.81B during the year, and the plans paid out $11.2B in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 200 plans with $78.9B; by 2024 it was 111 plans (down 44%) and $117.9B (up 49%). From plan year 2023 the 100-participant line counts participants with account balances, which moved many plans to the short form.
Medians compared with all US plans
| Median plan, plan year 2024 | Industry: DC | US: DC | Industry: DB | US: DB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $129,321 | $53,031 | $93,393 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $3,138 | $2,174 | $13,772 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $153 | $123 | $263 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.15% | 0.26% | 0.27% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $156 | $116 | $677 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (90 DC and 17 DB plans with a Schedule H here). Fee medians cover plans reporting an amount. DC: defined contribution, such as 401(k) and 403(b). DB: defined benefit pension.
Distribution of DC plans
| Measure | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $83,819 | $129,321 | $191,674 | 90 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $1,755 | $3,138 | $4,829 | 87 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $71.66 | $153 | $278 | 84 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $73.21 | $156 | $276 | 86 |
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans 100+ | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Median DC assets / participant | Median DC Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 111 | 601,427 | $117.9B | $1.26B | $2.81B | $129,321 | $153 |
| 2023 | 117 | 623,259 | $112.6B | $1.08B | $2.68B | $127,797 | $151 |
| 2022 | 129 | 642,078 | $101.9B | $1.04B | $2.53B | $102,308 | $138 |
| 2021 | 131 | 629,066 | $124.9B | $885M | $2.42B | $116,106 | $128 |
| 2020 | 143 | 660,294 | $117.6B | $962M | $2.35B | $105,837 | $115 |
| 2019 | 153 | 661,443 | $110.1B | $1.41B | $2.29B | $94,830 | $92.61 |
| 2018 | 168 | 716,839 | $96.7B | $1.36B | $2.22B | $72,550 | $80.91 |
| 2017 | 157 | 698,427 | $101.1B | $2.08B | $2.00B | $80,794 | $61.96 |
| 2016 | 160 | 709,479 | $90.6B | $1.18B | $1.94B | $74,816 | $57.67 |
| 2015 | 168 | 732,554 | $86.4B | $1.11B | $1.95B | $63,265 | $47.64 |
| 2014 | 176 | 788,819 | $95.1B | $1.72B | $1.86B | $64,515 | $51.25 |
| 2013 | 174 | 833,613 | $94.4B | $2.10B | $1.89B | $66,048 | $53.58 |
| 2012 | 189 | 834,174 | $88.5B | $1.93B | $1.87B | $52,728 | $40.80 |
| 2011 | 174 | 874,882 | $82.6B | $1.99B | $1.92B | $49,086 | $34.29 |
| 2010 | 184 | 821,957 | $80.1B | $1.53B | $1.65B | $49,753 | $27.94 |
| 2009 | 200 | 945,576 | $78.9B | $1.25B | $1.92B | $41,671 | $23.73 |
Plan year is the year in which the plan year began. The drop in large plans from 2023 follows a rule change: the 100-participant line now counts participants with account balances, so many plans moved to the short form.
Provider share
Service provider organisations named most often on the Schedule C of the 110 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 110 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nokia Retirement Income Plan | Nokia of America Corporation | NJ | DB | 81,332 | $12.9B | $158,046 | — | $81.10 |
| L3HARRIS Retirement Savings Plan | L3HARRIS Technologies, Inc. | FL | DC | 74,641 | $16.3B | $218,559 | $10 | — |
| Cisco Systems,inc. 401(k) Plan | Cisco Systems,inc. | CA | DC | 70,957 | $26.4B | $371,631 | $9,410 | $57.93 |
| General Dynamics Corporation 401(k) Plan 6.0 | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DC | 68,452 | $12.4B | $181,068 | $6,224 | $68.58 |
| General Dynamics Corporation 401(k) Qaca Plan | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DC | 45,227 | $7.91B | $174,977 | $4,510 | $53.77 |
| General Dynamics Retirement Plan (Government) | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DB | 28,661 | $2.68B | $93,393 | $30,302 | $263 |
| General Dynamics Retirement Plan (Electric Boat and Mission Systems) | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DB | 26,451 | $4.08B | $154,129 | $13,772 | $355 |
| Nokia SAVINGS/401(K) Plan | Nokia of America Corporation | NJ | DC | 24,701 | $9.63B | $389,840 | — | $837 |
| Motorola Solutions 401(k) Plan | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | IL | DC | 22,877 | $6.50B | $284,136 | $4,904 | $169 |
| General Dynamics Corporation 401(k) Plan for Represented Employees | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DC | 22,405 | $2.09B | $93,106 | $3,007 | $72.68 |
| Msi Pension Plan | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | IL | DB | 22,259 | $3.25B | $145,909 | — | — |
| Lucent Technologies Inc. Pension Plan | Nokia of America Corporation | NJ | DB | 15,169 | $4.03B | $265,724 | — | $353 |
| General Dynamics Retirement Plan (Commercial) | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DB | 10,678 | $1.78B | $166,329 | — | $533 |
| General Dynamics Corporation 401(k) Plan 3.0 | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DC | 8,963 | $1.48B | $164,633 | $345 | $39.92 |
| Viasat, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Viasat, Inc. | CA | DC | 6,051 | $1.17B | $193,156 | $6,687 | $166 |
| General Dynamics Retirement Plan (Land Systems) | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DB | 5,515 | $535M | $96,965 | $10,845 | $247 |
| General Dynamics Retirement Plan (Bath Iron Works) | General Dynamics Corporation | VA | DB | 4,847 | $429M | $88,434 | $4,836 | $261 |
| Msi Pension Plan II | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | IL | DB | 4,191 | $87.7M | $20,926 | — | — |
| General Dynamics Land Systems Pension Agreement | General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. | MI | DB | 3,866 | $302M | $78,176 | $16,522 | $305 |
| Viavi Solutions 401(k) Plan | Viavi Solutions Inc. | CA | DC | 3,195 | $729M | $228,053 | $3,717 | $106 |
| Ciena Corporation 401(k) Plan | Ciena Corporation | MD | DC | 3,033 | $719M | $236,981 | $6,032 | $23.29 |
| Ipg Photonics Corporation 401(k) Retirement Plan | Ipg Photonics Corporation | MA | DC | 2,671 | $289M | $108,164 | $2,643 | — |
| Comtech Telecommunications Corp. 401(k) Plan | Comtech Telecommunications Corp. | NY | DC | 2,082 | $347M | $166,449 | $4,173 | $20.17 |
| Netscout Systems, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Netscout Systems, Inc. | MA | DC | 1,980 | $645M | $325,789 | $4,392 | $51.44 |
| Extreme Networks 401(k) Plan | Extreme Networks, Inc. | NC | DC | 1,802 | $272M | $151,079 | $3,634 | $60.66 |
| Nec Corporation of America Retirement Plan | Nec Corporation of America | TX | DC | 1,775 | $469M | $264,067 | $5,747 | $109 |
| Mitel 401(k) Plan | Mitel (Delaware), Inc. | AZ | DC | 1,493 | $228M | $152,584 | $3,643 | $153 |
| Calix, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan. | Calix, Inc. | CA | DC | 1,393 | $257M | $184,158 | $5,323 | $110 |
| Riverbed Technology LLC 401(k) Plan | Riverbed Technology LLC | CA | DC | 1,309 | $271M | $206,973 | $3,899 | $74.81 |
| Ofs Non-Represented 401(k) Plan | Ofs Fitel, LLC | GA | DC | 1,264 | $213M | $168,432 | $3,688 | $136 |
| Lumentum 401(k) Plan | Lumentum Operations LLC | CA | DC | 1,183 | $271M | $229,461 | $5,451 | $86.42 |
| Avx Pension Plan for Bargaining Unit and Hourly Employees | Kyocera Avx Components Corporation | SC | DB | 1,156 | $25.0M | $21,646 | — | $9.40 |
| Cohu, Inc. Employees' Retirement Plan | Cohu, Inc. | CA | DC | 1,014 | $274M | $270,539 | $4,754 | $11.84 |
| Ofs Represented Retirement Plan | Ofs Fitel, LLC | GA | DB | 1,011 | $102M | $100,754 | — | $240 |
| Nexans USA Inc. 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | Nexans USA Inc. | SC | DC | 883 | $112M | $127,240 | $8,514 | $199 |
| Infinera 401(k) Plan | Infinera Corporation | CA | DC | 851 | $171M | $200,653 | — | $161 |
| Ultratec, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Ultratec, Inc. | WI | DC | 848 | $28.0M | $33,010 | $57 | $28.18 |
| Anritsu Company Salary Deferral Plan | Anritsu Company | CA | DC | 831 | $289M | $347,394 | $2,918 | $220 |
| Sonifi Solutions, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Sonifi Solutions, Inc. | SD | DC | 761 | $95.2M | $125,151 | $1,536 | $234 |
| Calamp Corp. Employees Savings Plan | Calamp Corp. | CA | DC | 669 | $75.8M | $113,377 | $3,711 | $138 |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in communications equipment mfg?
111 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 152 pension plans on the full form. Smaller plans file Form 5500-SF and are counted separately where shown.
What is the typical 401(k) balance in communications equipment mfg?
The median defined contribution plan reported $129,321 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $83,819 to $191,674); nationally it was $53,031. This is a plan-level average that includes former employees, not a typical person's balance.
What do employers contribute in communications equipment mfg?
The median defined contribution plan received $3,138 in employer contributions per active participant, against $2,174 nationally. Plans with no employer contribution are included at zero.
What are average 401(k) fees in communications equipment mfg?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $153 per participant and 0.15% of net assets (nationally $123 and 0.26%). Schedule C leaves out fund expense ratios and fees the employer pays, so it understates total cost.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports in the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Medians are computed by this site across plans with 100 or more participants.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Totals count every pension plan on the full form; medians and the plan list cover plans with 100 or more participants. See the methodology.