What Do Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer Do?
Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer Job 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?
- Remove and remake connections to change circuit layouts, following work orders or diagrams.
- Run wires between components and to outside cable systems, connecting them to wires from telephone poles or underground cable accesses.
- Communicate with bases, using telephones or two-way radios to receive instructions or technical advice, or to report equipment status.
- Provide input into the design and manufacturing of new equipment.
- Determine viability of sites through observation, and discuss site locations and construction requirements with customers.
- Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain how it is to be used, and respond to any inquiries or complaints.
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What a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer Should Know
When polled, Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
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.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Types of Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer Jobs
- Network Cabler
- Manual Equipment Mechanic
- Wirer
- Instrument Setter
- Network Technician
What Kind of Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer Job Opportunities Are There?
There were about 237,600 jobs for Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer. The BLS estimates 21,900 yearly job openings in this field.

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.
Salary for a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers make between $32,440 and $82,860 a year.

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 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers
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
Becoming a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer
What education is needed to be a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer?

How Long Does it Take 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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