Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Installation, Maintenance & Repair
• O*NET-SOC code: 49-2022
• O*NET job zone: 3 — medium preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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.
• Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
• Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.
• Collaborate with other workers to locate and correct malfunctions.
• Remove loose wires and other debris after work is completed.
• Repair or replace faulty equipment, such as defective and damaged telephones, wires, switching system components, and associated equipment.

Tools and technology

Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Adjustable hand wrenches, Analog probes, Apache Struts, Battery-powered punchdown tools, Bridge tap detectors, Cable cutters

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
• Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Telecommunications Engineering Specialists
• Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers
• Power Distributors and Dispatchers
• Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment
• Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 3 (medium preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.