How to become a telecommunications line installers and repairer
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
Steps to get there
Most employers expect usually requires a high school diploma or ged, though some occupations may not..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.
What telecommunications line installers and repairers do
- Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
- Clean or maintain tools or 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.
- Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches.
- Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches.
- Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.
Skills that matter most
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Mathematics
Is telecommunications line installers and repairer a good career?
On the numbers, this job pays above the typical job. Median pay is 46% above the all-occupation median. Whether it fits you depends on the work itself, the schooling you are willing to do and where you want to live.
Where it pays most
- Rhode Island $103,810
- Massachusetts $103,410
- New Jersey $102,090
- New York $100,960
- California $97,980
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers salary by state and city
Sources: O*NET® 31.0 (CC BY 4.0, USDOL/ETA) and BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025.