What is a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer?
Job Description & Duties 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?
- Drive crew trucks to and from work areas.
- Program computerized switches and switchboards to provide requested features.
- Designate cables available for use.
- Adjust or modify equipment to enhance equipment performance or to respond to customer requests.
- Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
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What Every 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
- Plant Technician
- Toll Test Worker
- Network Specialist
- Satellite Communication Operator
- Service Technician
What Kind of Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer Job Opportunities Are There?
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. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 21,900 job openings in this field each 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.
Average Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers Salary
The average yearly salary of a Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer ranges 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 do Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers:
- 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?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers Are Employed

The table below shows the approximate number of Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers employed by various industries.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Are you already one of the many Telecommunications Equipment Installer or Repairer in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
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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