What Does it Take to Be a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer?
Career Description 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.
What Do Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers Do On a Daily Basis?
- Examine telephone transmission facilities to determine requirements for new or additional telephone services.
- Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
- Perform routine maintenance on equipment, including adjusting and lubricating components, and painting worn or exposed areas.
- Place intercept circuits on terminals to handle vacant lines in central office installations.
- Determine viability of sites through observation, and discuss site locations and construction requirements with customers.
- Remove and replace plug-in circuit equipment.
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Skills Needed to be a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer
When polled, Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
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.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Information Transport Systems Technician
- Broadband Installer
- Switchboard Troubleshooter
- Satellite Technician
- Facility Worker
Are There Job Opportunities for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 237,600 jobs in the United States for Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer. There will be an estimated 21,900 positions for Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer per year.

The states with the most job growth for Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer are Utah, Nevada, and Rhode Island. Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Vermont, or Alabama. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer Average Salary
The typical yearly salary for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers is somewhere between $32,440 and $82,860.

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers who work in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, or New York, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $57,270 |
Alaska | $73,620 |
Arizona | $59,080 |
Arkansas | $45,830 |
California | $60,110 |
Colorado | $64,050 |
Connecticut | $68,300 |
Delaware | $58,350 |
District of Columbia | $83,370 |
Florida | $52,190 |
Georgia | $53,560 |
Hawaii | $63,610 |
Idaho | $54,140 |
Illinois | $60,840 |
Indiana | $52,610 |
Iowa | $52,470 |
Kansas | $51,580 |
Kentucky | $50,670 |
Louisiana | $55,130 |
Maine | $57,510 |
Maryland | $57,820 |
Massachusetts | $74,930 |
Michigan | $54,520 |
Minnesota | $57,650 |
Mississippi | $51,230 |
Missouri | $51,760 |
Montana | $61,290 |
Nebraska | $52,210 |
Nevada | $53,230 |
New Hampshire | $71,390 |
New Jersey | $66,170 |
New Mexico | $51,410 |
New York | $69,980 |
North Carolina | $54,390 |
North Dakota | $63,360 |
Ohio | $54,390 |
Oklahoma | $48,010 |
Oregon | $58,600 |
Pennsylvania | $56,750 |
Rhode Island | $66,070 |
South Carolina | $54,340 |
South Dakota | $62,300 |
Tennessee | $53,750 |
Texas | $51,360 |
Utah | $57,590 |
Vermont | $52,440 |
Virginia | $61,430 |
Washington | $63,970 |
West Virginia | $54,810 |
Wisconsin | $51,610 |
Wyoming | $59,160 |
What Tools & Technology do Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Data entry software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- IBM Domino
- Apache Struts
- Voice over internet protocol VoiP system software
- Cisco IOS
How do I Become a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer?
Are there Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers education requirements?

What work experience do I need to become a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer?

Where Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers Work

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Career changers with experience as a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Airman 1st Class Alexis P. Docherty, 49th Wing Public Affairs via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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