Career Overview
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
Also Known As
- Combination Technician
- Installation and Repair Technician (I and R Technician)
- Lineman
- Service Technician
Alternate Job Titles
- Aerial Installer
- Aerial Lineman
- Block Cableman
- Broadband Cable Installer
- Broadband Cable Specialist
- Broadband Technician
- Buried Wire Technician
- Cable Assembler
- Cable Inspector
- Cable Installation Tech (Cable Installation Technician)
- Cable Installer
- Cable Layer
- Cable Mechanic
- Cable Repairer
- Cable Splicer
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
- Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
- 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.
- 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.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment, such as digital subscriber line modems.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Near Vision
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Extent Flexibility
- Problem Sensitivity
- Multilimb Coordination
- Manual Dexterity
- Information Ordering
- Trunk Strength
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Relationships
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- 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: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Slack
Tools & Equipment
- Adjustable hand wrenches
- Articulating boom lift
- Borers
- Bubble levels
- Bucket trucks
- Buffer strippers
- Cable cutters
- Cable jacket strippers
- Cable locators
- Cable plows
- Cable sheaves
- Cable slitters
- Cable strippers
- Cable tie guns
- Cable trees
Work Environment
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
- Contact With Others
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Telephone Conversations
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $42,940 |
| Median | $70,500 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $104,840 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 98,360
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $62,630
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $92,560
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $64,190
Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $50,620
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment
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: $82,730
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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.