Installation, maintenance and repair
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers' property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
Median pay
$63,890
Growth to 2035
−3%
declining
Openings a year
11,300
Time to qualify*
1.5 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers: 26% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
- Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
- Drive crew trucks to and from work areas.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
- Run wires between components and to outside cable systems, connecting them to wires from telephone poles or underground cable accesses.
- Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.
- Collaborate with other workers to locate and correct malfunctions.
- Climb poles and ladders, use truck-mounted booms, and enter areas such as manholes and cable vaults to install, maintain, or inspect equipment.
Also called: Broadband Technician (Broadband Tech) · Combination Technician (Combination Tech) · Customer Service Technician (CST) · Installer · Network Technician (Network Tech) · Outside Plant Technician (Outside Plant Tech) · Repair Technician (Repair Tech) · Service Technician (Service Tech)
Outlook and AI
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers held 143,100 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 138,400 by 2035 (−3%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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