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.
Also Known As
- Central Office Technician
- Install and Repair Technician
- Service Technician
- Telecommunications Technician
Alternate Job Titles
- Antenna Installer
- Automatic Equipment Technician
- Break Fix Technician (Break Fix Tech)
- Broadband Installer
- Broadband Specialist
- Broadband Technician
- Cable Technician
- Cable Television Installer (Cable TV Installer)
- Cable Television Line Technician (Cable TV Line Technician)
- Cable TV Tech (Cable Television Technician)
- Call Box Wirer
- Call Circuit Worker
- Central Office Equipment Installer
- Central Office Frame Wirer
- Central Office Installer
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Customer and Personal Service
- Telecommunications
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Critical Thinking
- Operations Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Visual Color Discrimination
- Near Vision
- Problem Sensitivity
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Finger Dexterity
- Manual Dexterity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Information Ordering
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Cooperation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Relationships
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months
Education Details: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Experience Required: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Adjustable hand wrenches
- Analog probes
- Battery-powered punchdown tools
- Bridge tap detectors
- Cable cutters
- Cable fault finders
- Cable splicer knives
- Diagonal-cutting pliers
- Digital multimeters
- Double-ended screwstarters
- Double-sided magnetic tape measures
- Electricians' scissors
- Fiberoptic cable testers
- Handheld dataloggers
- Hex key sets
Work Environment
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
- Telephone Conversations
- Frequency of Decision Making
- Contact With Others
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $42,440 |
| Median | $62,630 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $94,970 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 153,890
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $70,500
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $64,190
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
Education: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Median Salary: $71,300
Telecommunications Engineering Specialists
Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
Median Salary: $130,390
Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $50,620
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.