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.

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MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES

A wage reference for United States.

Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.

Source wage group: Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers

This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.

May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.

Median annual wage$63,890USD per year · Published 50th percentile

Median hourly wage$30.72USD per hour · Published 50th percentile

Annual wage thresholds

USD per year

Hourly wage thresholds

USD per hour

Published occupational wage percentiles · United States · May 2025
Percentile	Annual wage (USD/year)	Hourly wage (USD/hour)
10th	$44,240	$21.27
25th	$51,830	$24.92
50th · Median	$63,890	$30.72
75th	$81,690	$39.27
90th	$96,730	$46.51

“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.

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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE

What this career involves.

Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.

Selected title examples

Break Fix Technician (Break Fix Tech)Broadband InstallerBroadband SpecialistBroadband Technician (Broadband Tech)Cable TV Installer (Cable Television Installer)Cable TV Line Technician (Cable Television Line Technician)Cable TV Tech (Cable Television Technician)Call Box WirerCall Circuit WorkerCentral Office Trouble ShooterCO Equipment Installer (Central Office Equipment Installer)CO Frame Wirer (Central Office Frame Wirer)

Expand more title examples (48)

CO Installer (Central Office Installer)CO Repairer (Central Office Repairer)CO Worker (Central Office Worker)Combination Technician (Combination Tech)Communication Equipment MechanicCommunication Equipment RepairerCommunications Equipment InstallerCommunications Equipment Repair Technician (Communications Equipment Repair Tech)Communications Technician (Communications Tech)Community TV Line Tech (Community Antenna Television Line Technician)Customer Service Technician (CST)Data Communications Technician (Data Communications Tech)Electronic Systems Technician (EST)Equipment InstallerFiber Optic Central Office InstallerFiber Technician (Fiber Tech)Field Installation Technician (Field Installation Tech)Field Service Technician (Field Service Tech)Field Technician (Field Tech)Headend Technician (Headend Tech)In Building Wireless Installation Technician (In Building Wireless Installation Tech)Installation Technician (Installation Tech)InstallerInstaller Technician (Installer Tech)Interior Block WirerInternet Technician (Internet Tech)Low Voltage Technician (Low Voltage Tech)Network Cable InstallerNetwork CablerNetwork Operations Center Technician (Network Operations Center Tech)Network Technician (Network Tech)Outside Plant Technician (Outside Plant Tech)PBX Installer (Private Branch Exchange Installer)PBX Mechanic (Private Branch Exchange Mechanic)PBX Repairer (Private Branch Exchange Repairer)PBX Wire Chief (Private Branch Exchange Wire Chief)Power Technician (Power Tech)Premises Wire Technician (Premise Wire Tech)Relay AdjusterRelay MechanicRepair Technician (Repair Tech)Satellite Communications Antenna InstallerSatellite Communications OperatorSatellite Installation Technician (Satellite Installation Tech)Satellite InstallerSatellite Technician (Satellite Tech)Service Technician (Service Tech)Simplex Printer Installer

Typical 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.

Expand more tasks (34)

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.
Test connections to ensure that power supplies are adequate and that communications links function.
Repair or replace faulty equipment, such as defective and damaged telephones, wires, switching system components, and associated equipment.
Maintain computer and manual records pertaining to facilities and equipment.
Remove and replace plug-in circuit equipment.
Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain its use, responding to any inquiries or complaints.
Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation.
Clean and maintain tools, test equipment, and motor vehicles.
Adjust or modify equipment to enhance equipment performance or to respond to customer requests.
Determine viability of sites through observation, and discuss site locations and construction requirements with customers.
Review manufacturer's instructions, manuals, technical specifications, building permits, and ordinances to determine communication equipment requirements and procedures.
Remove and remake connections to change circuit layouts, following work orders or diagrams.
Diagnose and correct problems from remote locations, using special switchboards to find the sources of problems.
Route and connect cables and lines to switches, switchboard equipment, and distributing frames, using wire-wrap guns or soldering irons to connect wires to terminals.
Communicate with bases, using telephones or two-way radios to receive instructions or technical advice, or to report equipment status.
Remove loose wires and other debris after work is completed.
Request support from technical service centers when on-site procedures fail to solve installation or maintenance problems.
Designate cables available for use.
Refer to manufacturers' manuals to obtain maintenance instructions pertaining to specific malfunctions.
Analyze test readings, computer printouts, and trouble reports to determine equipment repair needs and required repair methods.
Measure distances from landmarks to identify exact installation sites for equipment.
Enter codes needed to correct electronic switching system programming.
Examine telephone transmission facilities to determine requirements for new or additional telephone services.
Install updated software and programs that maintain existing software or provide requested features, such as time-correlated call routing.
Dig holes or trenches as necessary for equipment installation and access.
Perform routine maintenance on equipment, including adjusting and lubricating components and painting worn or exposed areas.
Clean switches and replace contact points, using vacuum hoses, solvents, and hand tools.
Perform database verifications, using computers.
Program computerized switches and switchboards to provide requested features.
Provide input into the design and manufacturing of new equipment.
Address special issues or situations, such as illegal or unauthorized use of equipment, or cases of electrical or acoustic shock.
Install telephone station equipment, such as intercommunication systems, transmitters, receivers, relays, and ringers, and related apparatus, such as coin collectors, telephone booths, and switching-key equipment.
Place intercept circuits on terminals to handle vacant lines in central office installations.

Skills used in this work

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Operations 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.
Installation: Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.

Expand more skills (29)

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.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Programming: Writing computer programs for various purposes.
Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Technology Design: Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
Management of Financial Resources: Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

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