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Telecommunications carriers
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Telecommunications line installers and repairers spend their day getting communication lines into place, finding faults, and restoring service after something breaks. The work is unusual because it mixes heavy field labor such as climbing poles, digging trenches, and pulling cable with careful testing and troubleshooting. The tradeoff is clear: the pay is solid for a job that does not require a degree, but the work is physical, weather-dependent, and the occupation is projected to shrink slightly over the next decade.
Also known as Telecom Line TechnicianOutside Plant TechnicianCable SplicerTelecom Repair TechnicianField Telecommunications Technician
Median Salary
$70,500
Mean $72,440
U.S. Workforce
~98K
8.9K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+-3.1%
99.9K to 96.8K
Entry Education
High school diploma or equivalent
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers sits in the Trades category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~98K workers, with a median annual pay of $70,500 and roughly 8.9K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to decline from 99.9 K in 2024 to 96.8K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with High school diploma or equivalent, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Telecom Helper / Trainee and can progress toward Crew Lead / Field Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Signal Test Meters, OTDRs & Fault Locators, Bucket Trucks, Ladders & Pole-Climbing Safety, and Fiber-Optic Splicing Tools & Fusion Splicers, paired with soft skills such as Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and Operations Monitoring.
Core Responsibilities
- Climb poles or use a bucket truck to reach overhead lines and equipment that need work.
- Pull new cable through conduit or off truck-mounted reels and into place.
- Dig or help dig trenches so underground cable can be buried safely.
- Check signal quality with test meters, then track down where a line is damaged or losing service.
Keep exploring: more Trades careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Climb poles or use a bucket truck to reach overhead lines and equipment that need work.
02 Pull new cable through conduit or off truck-mounted reels and into place.
03 Dig or help dig trenches so underground cable can be buried safely.
04 Check signal quality with test meters, then track down where a line is damaged or losing service.
05 Install boxes, connectors, and customer equipment, then turn the service on and verify that it works.
06 Clean, inspect, and maintain tools and testing gear so they stay safe and accurate.
Industries That Hire
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Cable and broadband providers
Comcast, Charter Spectrum, Cox Communications
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Fiber network builders
Lumen, Zayo, Frontier Communications
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Telecom contractors
MasTec, Dycom Industries, Quanta Services
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Network equipment and infrastructure
Corning, CommScope, Cisco
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is strong for a job that usually starts with a high school diploma: the median is $70,500 a year and the mean is $72,440.
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You do not need prior experience to get started, because employers expect long-term on-the-job training.
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The work is varied, with a mix of climbing, digging, cable pulling, testing, and customer setup instead of a desk routine.
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Troubleshooting can be satisfying if you like solving real-world problems with meters, test gear, and hands-on repair.
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Even with employment projected to fall 3.1%, there are still about 8.9K annual openings, so people do keep coming and going from the field.
Challenges
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Employment is expected to slip from 99.9K in 2024 to 96.8K by 2034, so this is a shrinking occupation rather than a growing one.
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The work is physically demanding and can be dangerous: you may be climbing poles, working from bucket trucks, digging trenches, or entering crawl spaces.
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This job is rarely remote, because the work has to be done on-site at poles, cabinets, trenches, and customer locations.
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A lot of routine copper-line work is under pressure from fiber upgrades and wireless service, which can reduce long-term demand for some of the older tasks.
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Career growth can flatten out unless you move into crew leadership, dispatch, or management, and contractor work can rise or fall with carrier buildout budgets.
Career Progression
Telecom Helper / Trainee
0-2 years
$38K-$52K
Learns safety rules, helps pull cable, carries tools, and supports experienced crews on simple jobs.
Telecommunications Line Installer and Repairer
2-6 years
$65K-$79K
Handles routine installs, repairs, testing, and customer hookups independently on poles, in trenches, and at service sites.
Senior Field Technician THIS ROLE
6-10 years
$80K-$95K
Takes on harder outages, more complex signal problems, and the toughest field repairs.
Crew Lead / Field Supervisor
10+ years
$96K-$115K
Leads crews, assigns work, checks quality, and keeps projects moving safely and on schedule.
Education Paths
High school diploma or equivalent
The most common entry point, held by 59.59% of workers in this role, and usually followed by long-term on-the-job training.
Post-secondary certificate in telecommunications or electronics
A practical alternative for some job seekers, and one used by 14.05% of workers in this occupation.
Some college courses in electronics, communications, or network systems
Another common alternative path, used by 12.37% of workers in this occupation.
Apprenticeship or employer training program
A hands-on route for people who want to learn on the job and build field skills without a formal degree.
Key Skills
Technical
Signal Test Meters, OTDRs & Fault Locators 62%
Bucket Trucks, Ladders & Pole-Climbing Safety 62%
Fiber-Optic Splicing Tools & Fusion Splicers 62%
Copper Cable Testing & Fault Isolation 62%
Hand Tools, Winches & Cable Pullers 60%
Underground Cable Installation & Trenching Safety 60%
Soft Skills
Complex Problem SolvingCritical ThinkingOperations MonitoringSpeakingActive ListeningCoordination Job Outlook and Trends
+-3.1%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
8.9K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 99.9K to 96.8 K over the next decade, representing -3.1% growth. Around 8.9 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.