Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
Also called: Cable Splicer · Cable Technician · Cable Television Technician (Cable TV Tech) · Combination Technician · Field Service Technician · Installation and Repair Technician (I and R Technician)
Median pay (national)
$70,500
$42,940–$104,840 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
98,360
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-3.1%
~8,900 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for telecommunications line installers and repairers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $104,840 versus $42,940 at the bottom 10% — 2.4x. The median of $70,500 leaves roughly 49% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -3.1% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 8,900 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 52 states with released data, New York pays the most for this role (median $105,900, +50% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $29,170 — a 263% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
- Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
- Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
- Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches.
- Dig trenches for underground wires or cables.
- Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.
- Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories.
- Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
- Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
- String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension.
Tools & technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Slack
- Cisco IOS
- Mapcom systems M4
- Ping tools
- Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
- Web browser software
- Workforce management system software
- Email software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
- Mechanical
- Education and Training
- Communications and Media