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Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 49-9052.00United States

Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$73,768

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
−0.8%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

72.7% of the workforce

Employment
104.75K jobs

Growing to 103.94K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What telecommunications line installers and repairers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.
  • Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories.
  • Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
  • Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
  • Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
  • Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
  • String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension.
  • Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
  • Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.
  • Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches.
  • Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches.
  • Dig trenches for underground wires or cables.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$44,082
25th percentile
$53,703
50th percentile
$73,768
75th percentile
$95,734
90th percentile
$108,628

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $73,768 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−0.8%projected to decline
2025104,748 jobs
2035 projected103,936 jobs

812 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
72.7%
Certificate
14.1%
Some college
12.4%
Associate degree
0.9%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Low Voltage
  • Telecommunications
  • Category 6 Cabling
  • Structured Cabling
  • Category 5 Cabling
  • Hand Tools
  • Access Controls
  • Fiber Optics
  • Lifting Ability
  • Fiber Optic Cable
  • Electrical Wiring
  • Working at Heights
  • Packaging And Labeling
  • Patch Panels
  • Power Tool Operation
  • Good Driving Record
  • Industry Standards
  • Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI) Standards
  • Project Management
  • Blueprinting

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Cable Technicians4,787 postings
  2. 02Low Voltage Technicians2,191 postings
  3. 03Cable Installers1,689 postings
  4. 04Structured Cabling Technicians1,027 postings
  5. 05Installation Technicians823 postings
  6. 06Cable Installation Technicians757 postings
  7. 07Field Technicians683 postings
  8. 08Low Voltage Cable Technicians629 postings
  9. 09Low Voltage Installers489 postings
  10. 10CCTV Technicians339 postings
  11. 11Fiber Technicians315 postings
  12. 12Network Cable Technicians292 postings
  13. 13Fiber Splicers289 postings
  14. 14Lead Cable Technicians275 postings
  15. 15Technicians228 postings
  16. 16Access Control Technicians221 postings
  17. 17Cable Pullers204 postings
  18. 18Cable Technicians/Installers156 postings
  19. 19Installers153 postings
  20. 20Network Technicians132 postings

Top employers

  1. 01TEKsystems2,570 postings
  2. 02EchoStar2,024 postings
  3. 03Spectrum796 postings
  4. 04Anistar Technologies720 postings
  5. 05QPS Employment Group459 postings
  6. 06AT&T416 postings
  7. 07Aerotek355 postings
  8. 08Allegis Group254 postings
  9. 09Top Prospect Consulting232 postings
  10. 10Insight Global137 postings
  11. 11Wachter136 postings
  12. 12Robert Half125 postings
  13. 13Integrated Electrical Systems Communications105 postings
  14. 14Next Level Technician102 postings
  15. 15UtiliQuest94 postings
  16. 16Cable One Incorporated87 postings
  17. 17TradeSTAR87 postings
  18. 18MasTec86 postings
  19. 19Tek One Solutions81 postings
  20. 20Verigent80 postings

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