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Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers: Career Overview

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, Except Line Installers Perform?

The core tasks performed by telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers cover:

  • Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain its use, responding to any inquiries or complaints.
  • Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
  • Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation.
  • Climb poles and ladders, use truck-mounted booms, and enter areas such as manholes and cable vaults to install, maintain, or inspect equipment.
  • 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.
  • Test connections to ensure that power supplies are adequate and that communications links function.
  • Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.

Skills and Knowledge

Top telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Troubleshooting  3.9 / 5
0
5
Repairing  3.9 / 5
0
5
Quality Control Analysis  3.6 / 5
0
5
Operations Monitoring  3.6 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.6 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.5 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Customer and Personal Service  4.4 / 5
0
5
Telecommunications  4.4 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  4.2 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.0 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.5 / 5
0
5
Public Safety and Security  3.3 / 5
0
5

Other Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers Job Titles

Common job titles for this role include:

  • Antenna Installer
  • Automatic Equipment Technician
  • Break Fix Technician (Break Fix Tech)
  • Broadband Installer
  • Broadband Specialist
  • Broadband Technician
  • Cable TV Tech (Cable Television Technician)
  • Cable Technician

How Many Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers Are There?

There are about 571,963 telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -3.1% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers

How Much Do Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers Make?

Statistic Value
Annual median $38,332
Hourly median $18.43
10th percentile $22,529
25th percentile $30,430
75th percentile $46,234
90th percentile $54,135

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers Salary by State

State Annual median salary
Rhode Island $111,540
Alaska $98,850
North Dakota $88,690
New Hampshire $84,340
Vermont $80,400
Massachusetts $79,870
Hawaii $79,060
New Jersey $77,660
Montana $77,210
Connecticut $76,390
California $74,580
Washington $73,140
Oregon $72,110
District of Columbia $71,270
Louisiana $71,200
Nevada $70,650
Pennsylvania $67,230
West Virginia $67,140
Minnesota $66,430
Colorado $66,410
Virginia $65,750
Delaware $64,950
Illinois $64,770
Maine $64,480
Idaho $63,850
Utah $62,380
Iowa $62,260
Ohio $62,010
Indiana $61,920
Maryland $61,860
North Carolina $61,830
Arizona $61,790
Missouri $61,510
Florida $61,430
Michigan $59,990
South Dakota $59,700
Wisconsin $59,630
Wyoming $59,610
Kansas $59,380
South Carolina $59,360
Mississippi $59,250
Tennessee $58,960
New York $58,760
Georgia $58,600
Alabama $57,870
Texas $57,390
Kentucky $55,780
New Mexico $55,020
Nebraska $54,450
Oklahoma $51,680
Virgin Islands $47,860
Arkansas $47,390
Puerto Rico $28,120

Where Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers Earn the Most

Pay for telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers vary by region. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
New England $77,534 1.9% 0.93
Far Western US $74,891 15.4% 0.95
Rocky Mountains $65,539 5.2% 1.30
Middle Atlantic $64,378 12.6% 0.82
Plains States $62,641 7.1% 1.05
Great Lakes $62,071 13.5% 0.98
Southeast $60,745 29.0% 1.21
Southwest $57,300 14.7% 1.18

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Anchorage, AK AK $98,850 600
Elmira, NY NY $96,960 30
Yuba City, CA CA $93,620 90
Fairbanks-College, AK AK $93,590 50
Hanford-Corcoran, CA CA $92,290 40
Ithaca, NY NY $89,380 30
Spartanburg, SC SC $87,940 70
Cleveland, TN TN $85,960 70

Which Industries Hire Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers

The largest employers of telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers are found across these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Information 105,420 $64,320
Construction 20,360 $56,150
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 8,100 $62,970
Wholesale Trade 5,040 $61,830
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 4,820 $48,600
Other Services (except Public Administration) 4,290 $45,500
Management of Companies and Enterprises 760 $78,310
Educational Services 690 $64,650
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers sectors

Below are examples of industries where telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers work:

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers industries

Tech Stack

  • Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The work environment for telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers is shaped by the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
  • Telephone Conversations
  • Frequency of Decision Making
  • Contact With Others

Getting Started in This Career

Typical telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Similar Occupations

Where to Study

Aspiring telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers typically earn programs in:

Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians

1 programs across 1 majors

Sources

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 49-2022.00 (Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers).

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