Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
- Education Required
- Telecom technicians typically need postsecondary education in electronics, telecommunications, or computer networking. Generally, postsecondary programs include classes such as data transmission systems, data communication, AC/DC electrical circuits, and computer programming.
- Training Required
- Once hired, telecom technicians receive on-the-job training, typically lasting a few weeks to a few months. Training involves a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on work with an experienced technician. In these settings, workers learn the equipments internal parts and the tools needed for repair. Technicians who have completed postsecondary education often require less on-the-job instruction than those who have not.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: -8% (Decline)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Median pay: How much do Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers make?
- $53,640 Annual Salary
- $25.79 per hour
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, also known as telecom technicians, set up and maintain devices or equipment that carry communications signals, such as telephone lines and Internet routers.
What do Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers do?
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers typically do the following:
- Install communications equipment in offices, private homes, and buildings that are under construction
- Set up, rearrange, and replace routing and dialing equipment
- Inspect and service equipment, wiring, and phone jacks
- Repair or replace faulty, damaged, and malfunctioning equipment
- Test repaired, newly installed, and updated equipment to ensure that it works properly
- Adjust or calibrate equipment to improve its performance
- Keep records of maintenance, repairs, and installations
- Demonstrate and explain the use of equipment to customers
These workers use many different tools to inspect equipment and diagnose problems. For instance, to locate distortions in signals, they may employ spectrum analyzers and polarity probes. They also commonly use hand tools, including screwdrivers and pliers, to take equipment apart and repair it.
Many telecom technicians work with computers, specialized hardware, and other diagnostic equipment. They follow manufacturers instructions or technical manuals to install or update software and programs on devices.
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers who work at a clients location must track hours worked, parts used, and costs incurred. Workers who set up and maintain lines outdoors are classified as line installers and repairers.
The specific tasks of telecom technicians vary with their specialization and where they work.
The following are examples of types of telecommunications equipment installers and repairers:
Careers for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers
- Broadband technicians
- Cable technicians
- Cellular technicians
- Central office installers
- Central office technicians
- Communications equipment installers
- Fiber optic central office installers
- Field service technicians
- Headend technicians
- Home installers and repairers
- PBX installers and repairers
- Private branch exchange (PBX) installers and repairers
- Switchboard wirers
- Telecom installers
- Telecommunications service technicians
- Telecommunications switch technicians
- Telephone installers and repairers
- VOIP engineers